One Texas Cowboy Too Many (Burnt Boot, Texas) (20 page)

The noise of engines starting, trucks, cars, and vans all leaving the lot, muffled the sound of a truck when it came to a stop right beside Leah’s. Betsy rolled down the window and yelled, “Good grief, Tanner, you are still on church grounds. Don’t take it all off.”

The next truck to pull out of the lot left behind a long, sexy wolf whistle, and she turned back around to see Tanner swinging his long legs off the edge of the tailgate, waving at everyone like he was the newest model for romance novels. His jean legs were rolled up to below his knees, and his unsnapped shirt flapped in the hot wind, showing a bare chest and ripped abs.

Leah might be moving away from River Bend, but that didn’t mean she was befriending the Gallaghers. Someday, she intended to yank every single red hair out of Betsy’s scalp, a handful at a time, for today, if for no other reason. Leah’s hands knotted into fists thinking about the joy of that fight.

“Ahh, a picnic basket and a cooler. Does that mean we have cold beers?” Tanner asked.

“It means you have cold soda pop and ice water,” she said.

“Are you going to feed me from your fingertips?” he asked.

“The rules say I have to supply dinner. They do not say a word about feeding you or providing beer.” She opened the tailgate and set the basket and small cooler on it. “It’s help yourself from this point on, like at a buffet. And, Tanner, dinner does not mean the whole afternoon. One hour is what I’ve allowed, and then I’m going home to pack.”

Shit! Why had she said that? And why was it that swearing came so quickly to her thoughts these days?

“I heard that your Granny was ready to kick you out, darlin’. We’ve got lots of room over on Wild Horse, and you are welcome. I even talked to my Granny about it, and she said you could have a room in the main house.”

“And it’s all part of the feud, so no thank you. I’m so sick of all this, I could cry,” she said.

Tanner cocked his head to one side. “I’m not used to hearing you say bad words or that tone in your voice.”

“Get used to it,” she said.

The last vehicle pulling away from the parking lot was the preacher and his wife. He stuck a hand out the window and waved, then tooted his horn as he left. Did the fool think that this dinner would end the feud? Even the angels in heaven knew that this would only fuel it up hotter than ever.

Tanner waved and kept digging in the picnic basket, bringing out two paper plates and plastic cutlery. He set a pretty nice little table right there between them, spreading out two napkins to use as a tablecloth. “Leah, all kidding aside, because now I’m going to talk serious. I know you like Rhett and that you think all of this with me is part of the feud. Ham or turkey?” He pulled two sandwiches from the basket.

“Turkey,” she said.

“Rhett is a decent man, but he’s a ranch foreman and that’s all he’ll ever be. I can offer you a lifestyle like you’re used to,” Tanner said.

She pulled out a bag of potato chips and one of Fritos and held them up. He pointed at the chips, so she laid the Fritos beside her plate. “Are you proposing to me, Tanner? We haven’t even been on a proper date.”

“This is a proper date and, no, I’m not proposing to you. But the more I get to know you, Leah Brennan, the better I like you. I would like to date you. I would like to spend time with you and to hell with the feud. Who knows? Maybe if we connected, it would end this damn thing once and for all,” he said.

Now that was a novel idea. Ending the feud forever because of a Gallagher and a Brennan falling in love; she’d had a crush on Tanner for more than a decade, so maybe it wouldn’t be difficult to rekindle her past feelings for him.

She looked up to see his face so close that he had four eyes instead of two and they were closing as his lips brushed across hers. The first kiss was sweet, and the next was clearly supposed to be filled with passion and heat, but it did nothing for Leah. There were no sparks, no bursting stars, not even a little sizzle.

“Give me a chance, Leah,” he whispered seductively as his hand grazed her shoulder.

The feud could be over
, her conscience whispered as softly.

“I’m moving away from River Bend because I want to figure out who I am. I’m almost thirty, and I have to get some things settled before I make a commitment to anyone for any kind of relationship,” she said.

“I’ll be right here in Burnt Boot waiting for you,” Tanner said.

“Yeah, right!” She smiled. “Until the next woman comes along who catches your eye, and then you’ll be hugged up to her on the dance floor?”

“Honey, if you’ll dance with me, I give you my promise that I’ll never dance with another woman,” he said.

Leah didn’t believe him for a minute, but still, the end of the feud? And what if the Gallaghers were serious about making Rhett disappear?

Rhett had been miserable in church that morning. Sitting in the middle section with Tanner on one side and Leah on the other was purely symbolic; especially after the night before, when he’d called and sent Leah text messages so often that he’d begun to feel like a stalker. He’d wanted to get off his cycle and beat the shit out of Tanner for sitting in the back of Leah’s truck with his shirt opened and flapping like that.

Now he was miserable sitting between Betsy and her grandmother, Naomi, in a huge room of Gallaghers. He’d meant to steer clear of the feud when his cousins Sawyer and Finn told him about it, and now he was a pawn in the whole damn mess of things. He hated it and wished he could talk to Leah. He’d be willing to pawn his cycle and cut off his ponytail if he could get things straightened out with her.

“I understand Leah fixed up a cute little picnic for her and Tanner, and they’re having it in the church parking lot.” Naomi smiled.

Betsy tapped him on the arm. “She’s had a secret crush on him since they were kids. This is a dream come true for her. And I think Tanner is finally ready to stop his womanizing and settle down.”

“Never thought I’d say this, but I’m glad. Leah is a fine young woman who knows ranchin’ and is such a good girl. I’ve been afraid he’d bring home a barroom hussy with dollar signs in her eyes. Even a Brennan is better than that,” Naomi said. “But enough about this, Rhett. Tell me where you grew up.”

“Same place as Finn and Sawyer—on a ranch down around Comfort, Texas. I have relatives over in Ringgold, not far from here,” he said.

“Those O’Donnells? I’ve been thinking about putting my name on the list to buy one of their fine horses. Now I know that you’re a relative, I’ll have to give them a call this week.” Naomi smiled.

“They do grow some good horses,” he said.

Betsy’s hand landed on his thigh and squeezed. “We’ll get through this dinner and then we’ll have a tour of the ranch.”

“The rules of the race say that we only have to have dinner together,” he said. “I’ve allowed an hour and a half for the dinner, and then I have a meeting with Gladys, Polly, Sawyer, and Jill planned. I have to be there at two o’clock.”

“Well then”—her hand slid farther up his thigh—“I expect we’d best make the best of what time we have. How do you like what you see here on Wild Horse?”

“As in?” he asked.

“As in how would you like to be a part of what you see here?”

“Are you proposing to me, Betsy?”

Her smile was brilliant, but her eyes told a different story. This was all a game to Betsy and had nothing to do with love, ranches, or anything but the feud.

“Why, Rhett O’Donnell, I’m most certainly not proposing anything but asking you if you like what you see. If you do”—she squeezed his leg again—“I was thinking about making you one of those offers you can’t refuse.”

“Such as?”

“Such as jumping the fence from Fiddle Creek over to Wild Horse. I’ll pay you double whatever Sawyer and Gladys are paying you, and there’s all these wonderful benefits.” Her fingers walked up his thigh, all the way up to his zipper.

He reached under the table and moved her hand to her own lap. “I like my job and I never was too good at jumping fences.”

“Don’t say no until you hear the benefits.”

Naomi laid a hand on his arm. “We’ve got an empty two-bedroom house not far from where Betsy lives, and I’ll throw in medical insurance with your salary and give you a two-week paid vacation after six months.”

“Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. By the way, this steak is really good. What’s your secret?”

“Good beef. I’ll show you my secret in raising prime stock, but you have to take us up on the offer. This is a big place, Rhett. Even though Leah will wind up living here, there will be miles between you. Besides, she’s not serious about a plain old hired hand. She’s been flirting with you to bring Tanner to his knees,” Naomi said.

“I figured you’d fight the idea of bringing a Brennan onto Wild Horse,” Rhett told her.

“I would if it was any other woman from over on River Bend. But Leah, now that’s special circumstances. I hope it causes Mavis’s blood pressure to shoot up so high that she has a stroke and dies.” Naomi’s tone was icy cold.

“But the benefits I have to offer are a lot hotter,” Betsy whispered in his other ear. “Think about long, hot nights with no commitments, dancing at the bar, fishing in the river, skinny-dipping after either or both. It’s win-win. Leah gets to keep living in the style she’s accustomed to. My granny wins a battle in the feud. Mavis drops dead. You get more money and lots more fun. No losses here, darlin’.”

“Maybe I’m looking for a commitment,” he said.

She kissed his earlobe. “Maybe you’ll find one. And, honey, remember what I told you yesterday—there’s more than one way to skin a cat. If I want you, and Leah is in the way, Granny can fix that little problem real quick.”

Dinner dragged on forever, through course after course, served by waiters dressed in black slacks and white shirts. It wasn’t the first time Rhett had been to a dinner like that, but they’d usually been at weddings or some other such celebration, not merely a family meal after church on Sunday. By the time they got to the dessert cart, which featured cheesecakes in about a dozen varieties, blackberry cobbler with or with ice cream, and pecan pie, it was one thirty.

Betsy chose a slice of turtle cheesecake and he nodded. He didn’t care if he had sawdust with ice cream on top; he wanted to finish dinner and get the hell away from Wild Horse Ranch.

“I hate to eat and run, ladies,” he said after he’d swallowed the last bite. “It’s been a lovely dinner, and it was so nice to get to know you better, Naomi. But I have a meeting scheduled that I must get to, so I should be going. Y’all have a wonderful afternoon.”

“I’ll walk you out.” Betsy laid her napkin down.

“Come back anytime, Rhett,” Naomi said. “And remember my offer. It’s only good for twenty-four hours, so don’t ponder on it too long.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said.

Betsy looped her arm in his and led him through a maze of Gallaghers. When they were finally at his cycle, she looped her arms around his neck, rolled up onto her toes, and kissed him full on the mouth, tongue, and the whole nine yards. It wasn’t a bad kiss, not bad at all, but it did nothing to excite Rhett like Leah’s kisses did. There was no flashing sparks, no breathlessness, and no racing pulse.

“You take that home with you, cowboy, and remember, it can be yours if you move on over here to Wild Horse. And, Rhett, don’t be thinking that Leah is in love with you. A girl never forgets her first love, not ever, and Tanner is hers. She’s getting a once-in-a-lifetime chance right now to fill the hole in her heart. It’s never been possible before and probably never will be again, that a Gallagher and a Brennan can get together,” Betsy said.

“Who was your first love, Betsy?” Rhett asked.

“I haven’t found him yet. You want to apply for the job?”

“Not today,” he said as he got into his truck and started the engine.

“I’ll give you a whole week to think about it and change your mind.” She laughed and waved as he drove away.

He parked in front of Gladys’s house beside Sawyer’s truck and sat on the cycle a couple of minutes before going inside. Why was the whole family there, anyway? Surely they weren’t going to fire him because of the dinner. That wasn’t his fault, and even though he had mixed feelings about what was going on with Leah, he damn sure wasn’t ready to walk away from Burnt Boot.

“Hey, get on in here, Rhett. It’s hot out there, and we’ve got sweet tea and cookies,” Polly called from the door.

“Sounds wonderful.” He parked the cycle and headed toward the porch. They wouldn’t be feeding him tea and cookies if they planned on kicking him off Fiddle Creek, now would they?

You could always take Naomi up on her offer
, his conscience reminded him.

“Like hell,” he muttered under his breath. “That ain’t about to happen. I’m flat-out not interested in that shit. Me and Dammit will pack up and go back to Comfort before we consider that offer.”

“So how did the dinner go?” Jill asked the minute he was in the house.

“They tried to steal me from Fiddle Creek and Betsy tried to seduce me,” he said.

“And they told you how Leah would be so much better off if she broke it off with you and wound up with Tanner, right?” Gladys laughed.

Rhett nodded. “And like I told Gladys last night, they keep making threats about how they could make Leah disappear.”

“Don’t believe a word of that. Tanner Gallagher is a womanizer, and he will never settle down with one woman. It’s all part of the feudin’ game. If he did talk her into dating or even getting into what you kids call a relationship these days, it would only last long enough for Naomi to gloat like hell about it to Mavis. Then he’d drop her or go out with another woman so that she’d break it off with him,” Polly said. “Come on in here and sit with us at the table. That’s where deals are made in our part of the world.”

“You think Tanner would do that?” Rhett pulled out a chair.

“Don’t think so. Know so.” Polly nodded. “We hadn’t planned on doing this so quick, but Verdie reminded us that Finn and Callie are expecting their baby in October, so we can’t put it off until then.”

“I told them that I have to be in Burnt Boot when the baby comes, because Finn and Callie will need me.” Verdie came from the direction of the restroom and sat down at with them.

“We’re gettin’ old, and we’ve always talked about doing some fun stuff when we retired, so we’re going on a senior cruise in September. And we plan on doing lots more stuff after the new baby is here and Verdie is free,” Gladys said.

Jill picked up a second cookie. “I think that’s a wonderful idea. Y’all have worked your whole lives. We can hold down Fiddle Creek while you’re gone.”

“That’s where the next step comes into play,” Polly said. “The man I’ve had doing the work over on my place has given notice. September first is his last day unless I sell the ranch to him. I’ve got a relative up in Oklahoma who wants to buy the bar. Rosalie has run a couple of places like mine up there in the past. Sold out a few months ago and isn’t happy staying at home. She wants to get back into the business. So I’ve sold the bar to her. She takes over on the first day of September.”

“Wow!” Jill said.

“Then we only have night jobs for another couple of weeks?” Sawyer asked.

“No, I reckon you’ll be burning some midnight oil, but it will be on Fiddle Creek because you’ll have full control of the store too,” Gladys answered.

“Yes, ma’am.” Jill smiled.

“I’ve always told you that you’d inherit the bar and my place. Aren’t you disappointed?” Polly asked.

Jill patted Polly on the arm. “Fiddle Creek is plenty for us to handle, Aunt Polly. Sell your ranch and use the money to have a good time while you feel up to it.”

“I don’t need the money. That bar and the ranch have made me a rich woman, but I don’t want you to be disappointed in my decision,” Polly said.

Jill sipped at her tea. “I’m not one bit disappointed.”

“Good,” Gladys said. “Because tomorrow morning, I’m getting in touch with my lawyer and the title to Fiddle Creek, minus this house and the one acre it sits on, is going to be put in joint tenancy for you and Sawyer. You can have this much while I’m living. You can have the last acre and the house when I’m dead. The only thing you have to promise me is that you will never let either the Brennans or the Gallaghers get their grubby little fingers on it.”

“Gladys, are you sure about this?” Sawyer asked.

“Very sure. It’s the way I want to do things. This last scare with Polly has taught all three of us—that would be us two and Verdie, who’s been our lifelong friend—that it’s time for us to get busy and do what we’ve dreamed about before one of us drops dead,” Gladys answered.

“And it wouldn’t be any fun if we couldn’t all go together,” Verdie said.

“Thank you,” Sawyer said softly as he reached for Jill’s hand. “Thank you so much, Gladys.”

“And thank you, Aunt Polly, for selling the bar, so we can have more time to devote to Fiddle Creek and to the store,” Jill said. “Pinch me, Rhett. I’m sure this is a dream.”

He chuckled. “Just don’t throw me off Fiddle Creek or I’ll think it’s a nightmare instead of a dream.”

“That’s where my next proposition comes into play,” Polly said.

“Leah came by this morning before church, and Polly gave her permission to move into the guest room in her house,” Gladys said. “Now go on, Polly. He needed to hear that first.”

“I could have told him. I didn’t have a damn stroke, so there ain’t nothin’ wrong with my brain or my ability to speak,” Polly fussed.

“Get on with it, Polly, and quit your whining,” Gladys said.

“Okay! Okay! I’m going to sell my ranch to you, Rhett, if you want to buy it. You can change the name and brand if you want to. It’s been called Polly’s Ranch for so long that most folks won’t even remember the original name anyway, but it won’t hurt my feelings one bit. I don’t have any idea what you have in the bank, but we’ll negotiate a down payment, and you can pay me the rest of it in yearly installments after you sell off the calf crop each fall,” she said.

Rhett’s hands went clammy. His heart thumped around so hard that it hurt his ribs and his pulse raced. He’d been saving for years while looking for a ranch the size of Polly’s operation—a good solid start that would support a few hundred head of cattle.

“What’s your asking price?” he whispered.

“I’ve got a section of land, six hundred and forty acres. Prime is selling for about three thousand an acre, but—”

“I’ll take it,” he said.

“Hey, barter with me a little here. I’m prepared to let you have it for two thousand an acre and throw in what cattle is on the land right now. That’s three hundred head of Angus.”

“I’m not arguing with that price. I can give you half down and pay you the rest out in ten years,” he said. “I could pay for all of it, but I need working capital for the first two years.”

“Smart man,” Sawyer said.

“Whoa! Wait a minute! That means we’re losing our foreman on Fiddle Creek in two weeks,” Jill said.