Count on a Cowboy (8 page)

Joe smiled as he looked at Brooke. “Nice to meet you, Brooke.”

She nodded. “Nice to meet you, too, Joe.”

Joe studied her. “You must be related to the Quinns, because you sure look like Laurel. And you’re just as pretty.”

“Stop the flirting,” Trent said, hating that his friend was showing interest. He tried to lighten the mood. “At least until you find us a table.”

Joe laughed. “Let me see what I can do.” He called the hostess over and instructed her to find a couple of seats. He turned back to Brooke. “Sorry about the wedding fiasco, but I can’t say I’m sad that Laurel didn’t marry that jerk. She deserves better.”

Brooke nodded since it was nearly impossible to speak over all the noise. A hostess escorted them into the bar area, toward the back wall next to the fireplace. Outside of a few cheers and groans from the bar over the football game, it was quieter then the dinning room.

Once seated across from Brooke, Trent placed his arms on the table and leaned forward. “At least now I can hear what you have to say. Remind me to thank Joe.”

“Yes, we should definitely thank him,” she repeated and opened the menu.

Trent stopped her, putting his hand over hers. “No need to even look at that. Just get the sampler rib platter and you can have a little bit of everything.”

“But what if there are some things I don’t like?”

He shrugged. “I’ll eat what you don’t like.”

Brooke was working hard to keep her breathing slow...relaxed, but with Trent’s hand covering hers, it was difficult. She finally slipped her hand away. “That’s so much food.”

“That’s the best part, they have a small and a large size platter.”

A young waitress about twenty-five walked over to the table. “Hi, Trent. It’s been a long time.”

“Hi, Jenna. How’s school going?”

The pretty brunette sighed. “Hard, but I’m getting through.”

“It’s worth it, so stay in college.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to work here all my life, especially with my brother as my boss. He lets me work around my classes, so I guess he’s not so bad.”

“Well, congratulations,” Trent said, then made the introductions. “Jenna, this is Brooke Harper. Brooke, this is Joe’s sister, Jenna McClain. She goes to nursing school up the road.”

“Hi, Brooke.” The girl looked at her curiously, making Brooke a little nervous. “You sure look like Laurel. Are you a cousin or something?”

Brooke had no idea what to say. “Or something.”

Trent saved her. “Hey, Jenna, do you think you can rustle us up some food?

She pulled out her order pad. “Sure, what would you like?”

“Two sampler platters, one large and the other small. And two draft beers.” He arched an eyebrow at Brooke and she nodded at his choices.

Jenna picked up the menus. “Beers will be over as soon as Harry can pour them.”

“Not a problem,” he said.

After the waitress walked away, Trent looked at her. “You sure you’re okay with the beer?”

The truth was she wasn’t much of a drinker, but she could handle one beer. “Sounds good with all those ribs I’m going to be eating.”

He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms over his massive chest and studied her with a piercing gaze. She worked to keep her breathing calm, but this man could intimidate anyone.

“It doesn’t hurt to indulge every once in a while,” he told her. “As I used to tell my recruits, just don’t overdo it.”

“If I’m going to indulge on anything, I would rather it be on chocolate.”

A wide grin transformed his face, causing warmth to spread through her, and settling deep in her stomach.

“What is it with women and chocolate?”

She could play this game, for a while, anyway. She leaned forward, and looked him in the eye. “If you have to ask, then my telling you isn’t going to help.”

When he frowned, she couldn’t help laughing.

The bartender brought over two beers. Trent thanked him, then lifted his glass toward Brooke. “To a night hearing more of your sweet laughter.”

Brooke swallowed. She couldn’t let Trent’s words turn her head. “Oh, my, you’re full of blarney, Mr. Landry.” She took a long drink of her beer to cool off. “And you aren’t even Irish.”

He tipped his head back and laughed. “What about you, Miss Harper? Do you have any Irish in you?”

Brooke gripped her glass, playing with the condensation. “Don’t we all claim to be part Irish?”

Before he could answer her, two platters arrived at the table. All she could do was groan on seeing the stacks of ribs on her plate. “Looks like I’m going to have enough leftovers for several days.”

“Not me.” Trent rubbed his hands together, then tore off the first rib and took a big bite. Then he released a deep groan and something stirred in Brooke’s stomach. Need. Want. Desire.

She quickly looked down at her plate, picked up her own rib and took a bite. Her taste buds went nuts. “Oh, my Lord, this is so good. Sweet and tangy at the same time.”

“Told you,” Trent said.

She couldn’t help thinking back to the years when things had been really tight for her and her mother. There’d been times when they hadn’t had enough to eat. And never could her mother afford a meal like this.

Over the next twenty minutes, they both were more interested in the food rather than conversation. But eating ribs was messy. Brooke kept trying to clean her hands off with her napkin. Hard to do when she couldn’t resist gnawing the tender meat all the way to the bone.

Trent couldn’t help watching Brooke as she enjoyed her meal. Although she had no problem digging into the ribs, she did it in a way that intrigued him. She had quite an appetite. He couldn’t help wondering what other things she enjoyed.

Yesterday, she’d taken charge of dismantling a wedding reception like a pro. Then today, on horseback, even though she was afraid, she wouldn’t let that keep her from learning to ride. But now...one on one, she seemed almost shy with him, especially when he tried to give her compliments. Maybe she had spent all her time with her career and her mother, and hadn’t had much time for socializing. She hadn’t mentioned a boyfriend.

He studied her pretty face. Her complexion was creamy smooth, and those incredible green eyes... His libido kicked into overdrive. All right, he was attracted to her, but he couldn’t let that distract him from finding out more about her and her mother.

She looked at him as her tongue snaked out and licked sauce from her full lips. “Is something wrong?” she asked innocently.

He managed to hold back his groan as he leaned forward, reached out and wiped barbecue sauce off her cheek.

“Just a little something the napkin missed.” When his fingers made contact with her skin, he had trouble concentrating. She was as soft as he imagined.

She didn’t pull back but her face turned rosy red. “As my mother used to say, you can’t take me anywhere.” She forced a laugh to hide her embarrassment.

Why would she say that? “I like to watch a woman enjoy her food.”

“Maybe because I enjoy eating so much. I had to grab food when I had the chance.” She rushed on to say, “Between school and working.”

He bet there was a lot more to that story. “I’ve never been known to miss a meal, not growing up, anyway. And there’s something about home cooking that is hard to resist.”

She sat back and wiped off her hands with her napkin. “I wouldn’t know since cooking wasn’t Coralee’s strong suit.”

“What was your mother good at?”

“Singing. At one time she had a beautiful voice. And a lot of promise to make it big time.” She sighed. “So many things robbed her of her chance for the spotlight.”

“Surely you don’t blame yourself for your mother’s failures.”

She shook her head. “At first I used to, but no, Coralee made her own bad choices. And those years took a toll.”

He found he wanted to hear more. “What about your father? Was he in your life?”

Her eyes widened at his question, and she quickly shook her head.

“That’s rough. It’s not easy being a single mother. I know after my parents divorced, my mother had to go to work. Everything changed.”

“That had to be an adjustment for you.”

“Not as bad as when she remarried.” He thought back to the day his mother had brought a man named Neal Brannigan to their apartment.

“You have a stepfather?”

He nodded. “We all lived together, along with my twin stepbrothers. One big happy family.”

Her eyes widened. “Twins?”

He nodded. “Believe me, Austin and Cullen were double trouble, and didn’t want much to do with me, either.”

Her soft voice drew him back to the present. “I take it you didn’t get along.”

He shrugged and took a drink of his beer, realizing it was warm. “At first, no. But by the time I left for the army, we developed a healthy respect for each other.”

“At least you have a family.”

His gaze locked on hers, and he couldn’t miss the sadness in her eyes. There was a nagging feeling that his life with the Brannigan brothers was a cakewalk compared to hers.
What are your secrets, Brooke Harper?
One thing for sure, he needed to remember why she came to Hidden Springs. She might be here to meet her sister, but at what cost to the Quinn family?

* * *

T
HE DRIVE HOME
was quiet, causing Brooke to feel a little nervous. Had she said too much? Should she have just told Trent the truth about Rory being her father? Would he even believe her now?

She thought about the birth certificate tucked in the pocket of her suitcase. Coralee had named Rory Quinn as father to both her and Laurel. Sharing the same birthday with Laurel proved they were twins.

“Have I bored you to death and you’ve fallen asleep?” Trent asked.

She looked at him. “Just so full from the meal, it’s hard to breathe, let alone talk. And I’m enjoying the quiet.”

Trent turned off the highway and through the gate. Without the truck’s headlights, the road would be pitch-black.

“I’m sure this is quite a change from the bright lights you’re used to.”

“It is. I mostly worked nights and went to school during the day, so this solid darkness is a little overwhelming to me. I’m glad you know where you’re going.”

“I guess being raised out here I’m used to the darkness, but yeah, I like it better with moonlight.”

There was something in his voice that made her ask, “I bet coming home is nice after being deployed overseas.”

The road was bumpy, and Trent slowed the truck. “Yeah, it’s nice being back. I wished I’d come home more. I hadn’t seen my dad in a lot of years, and for that I’m ashamed. That’s something I’ll always regret. Wade Landry was a good man, and he deserved a better son.”

She heard the emotion in his voice. “Oh, Trent, how can you say that? You were a young boy who had to leave here... Your parents’ divorce was hard on you, too.”

“My dad used to write me letters when I was deployed, but he never said anything about being sick. I don’t think he even told Rory.” He stole a glance at her. “They were best friends.”

“Your father probably didn’t want you to worry about him. You had a job to do, and being distracted by his illness might have put you in jeopardy.”

Trent pulled up in front of the cabins and shut off the engine, but he didn’t get out. He turned to her, and with the aid of the porch light, she could see the intensity in his eyes.

“That’s what Rory told me when I came home for Dad’s funeral.”

“Then believe him, Trent. I also think your father would be happy to know you came home to stay.”

With a nod, Trent climbed out of the truck then came around and helped her down. He took her hand and walked her to the porch. “Thanks for tonight, Brooke. You saved a lonely old soldier from a solitary meal.”

“Oh, yeah, you’re really old. What, thirty?”

“Thirty-three,” he corrected.

“Well, get out the cane then.”

He smiled at her and her heart began to race once again, then he grew serious as he leaned closer toward her. “I guess I should let you get some sleep. I need some shut-eye, too. I have to ride out to check the herd early in the morning.”

“Are you going far?”

“A few miles to the north pasture. We need to bring them closer to the pens so we can do the branding.”

Why did she want to go? She could barely sit on a horse. “Sounds like fun.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “You didn’t get enough today?”

“I really enjoy the ride.”

“Well then, if you can be up and ready by five, you’re welcome to go along.”

She blinked at the invitation. “You’re kidding, right? You’re inviting me along?”

He grinned. “Who am I to cheat you out of all that fun?”

Chapter Seven

At 5:00 a.m. the next morning, the sun wasn’t even up. Good thing Brooke had always been an early riser. At twelve, she’d had a paper route, using the extra money from her payments to make sure that there was food.

Even if Coralee had made good tips at whatever bar she’d worked, she didn’t always come home with the money. Sometimes she went out and partied, or met some guy and spent it on alcohol or drugs.

Brooke shook away the bad memories and pulled a long-sleeved shirt over her head. Aware of the low temperature, she slipped on her hooded sweatshirt for another layer when she heard a soft knock on the door. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat knowing Trent was on the other side, and she would be spending the day with him.

“Stop fantasizing about a man you can’t have. Besides, you wouldn’t know what to do with him if you had the chance,” she murmured, then opened the door and felt the cool air hit her. She needed it seeing the handsome man taking up space in the doorway.

“Mornin’,” he said, then smiled at her and stole her breath.

“Good morning,” she managed as she stepped aside and allowed him inside.

“I wasn’t sure if you were serious about going today.”

“I’m used to getting up early.” She noticed his hands were full. “With going to school and my job, I had to be.”

He nodded and held out a pair of boots. “Here, I scrounged up a pair of Laurel’s. They aren’t the cleanest, but at least your feet will have some protection.”