Do You Take This Cowboy?

Leaning both elbows on the table, Cade studied Austin. “When are you fixing to get that courtin’ truck?”

“That what?” Lexi looked up from her phone. “Is a courtin’ truck what I think it is?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Cade took a long pull on his beer.

She turned to Austin. “Are you really buying a new truck so you can impress women?”

“Not all women. Just certain ones.”

“Let me put it this way, Lexi.” Cade put down his beer. “When you attended that riding clinic in Denver last year you took cabs to get around, right?”

“Right.”

“How did you know a cab was available?”

“The roof light was on.”

“Well, Junior here has his light on.”

“I do not.” Austin glared at his brother. “That suggests I’ll take the first one who comes along, and that’s not how I—”

“Isn’t Drew the first one who’s come along?”

“Yes, but we still don’t know if she’ll go out with me.”

“What if she does?”

“Then I’ll have to go truck shopping pretty soon.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Lexi waved her hands in the air. “You two are speaking in tongues. Could you both use your native language, which also happens to be mine? What the hell are you talking about?”

Cade reached over and covered her hand with his. “I called it his courtin’ truck because Junior is looking for a wife.”

Lexi swiveled in her seat to look at Austin. “You are?”

He hadn’t planned to lay out his plan this soon but he also couldn’t beat around the bush with Lexi. She was like a big sister to him. “Yes, ma’am.”

“See?” Cade gestured to him. “I knew he had another reason for coming back to Wyoming besides our wedding.”

“Austin.” Lexi put her hand on his arm. “Please tell me you didn’t get this idea because of our wedding invitation. There’s such a thing as wedding fever. When I was twenty-two I tried to get Cade to propose because of peer pressure. You probably don’t remember that.”

“Oh, I remember, all right. That’s when he took off for Colorado.” At seventeen, Austin had been devastated when his idol had driven away from Thunder Mountain Ranch. Lexi hadn’t been the only one with a broken heart. “It wasn’t just the invitation, although that made me realize all I was missing and I didn’t want to miss this. But I’ve been thinking about moving back and settling down for quite a while now.”

“You’re only twenty-six. You have lots of time.”

“I know. The thing is, I’m sick of getting involved with someone when it’ll never go anywhere. Every woman I dated in New Zealand told me flat out she wasn’t relocating. That made perfect sense. Their families were there and it’s a beautiful country.”

“All right.” Lexi seemed relieved. “Then ultimately you want to get married, but you don’t have a timetable or anything.” She smiled. “It’s not like you’ll ask Drew out now and propose next week.”

“I certainly wouldn’t plan on it.”

“Good, because—”

“But what if she’s perfect? What if we’re perfect for each other? Life’s short. We don’t know what’s going to happen.” He’d learned that early. Both his parents had died in their thirties. “I don’t believe in putting things off if taking action is the right decision.”

Cade glanced up at the ceiling.

Austin knew he didn’t fully agree, but Drew had liked that he was focused. Didn’t mean she’d go out with him but he thought she would. He didn’t get many refusals when he asked a lady out.

He glanced at the phone in Lexi’s free hand. “So can I have the number?”

She looked at him for a moment longer. “Yes. Just—”

“Just what?”

“Nothing.” She squeezed his arm and moved her hand away. “Ready?”

He touched the screen to refresh it. “Yes, ma’am.” He entered Drew’s number. “Do you think she’s had time to get home?”

“Probably not.”

“Then I’ll wait.” He put down his phone and picked up his beer. “It sounded like you were both happy with how the filming went.”

“I think it went great,” Lexi said. “I’ll know for sure once we see the edited version, but I meant what I said about her work. She’s phenomenal.”

“Good to know. Now that I understand how to run a trail ride company, I’ve been thinking about starting one. A good video on a website would be a big help.”

Cade leaned forward. “Gonna go into business for yourself?”

“I’d like to. I’ll have to begin small, work with one of the local stables, maybe get a business loan, but I think that’s all doable.”

“Absolutely,” Lexi said. “I’m sure Rosie and Herb would let you stay here for a while, which would save money on rent.”

Austin had been thinking the same thing until meeting Drew. “They probably would and I’ve considered it, but I’d rather get an apartment in town.”

Cade gave him a knowing look. “That doesn’t surprise me. I—” He paused as the front door opened.

“Anybody home?”

“Hey, Zeke!” Cade pushed back his chair. “We’re in the kitchen having a beer. Come on back and I’ll get you one.”

“Don’t mind if I do.”

Austin left his chair to greet his foster brother, one he’d liked okay but had never felt close to when they’d all lived at Thunder Mountain. Zeke Rafferty had kept to himself and all the guys had figured it was because his dad had committed suicide. But Rosie said that Zeke had come out of his shell ever since discovering he was about to be a father.

It seemed that Rosie was right, because the rugged cowboy who’d always looked slightly ticked off came in all smiles. “Hey, Austin!” His handshake was firm and enthusiastic. “I swear you’re a lot taller than I remember.”

“Not much taller, but I filled out a little.”

“I’d say so. How was New Zealand?” He took the beer Cade handed him. “Thanks, bro.”

“I loved New Zealand but I got homesick.”

Zeke nodded. “I can understand that. New Zealand’s a long way from Wyoming. Listen, I came over hoping you’d be around. As you’ve probably heard, I’ve been the caretaker at Matt’s ranch for the past few weeks.”

“I did hear that.” Their foster brother Matt Forrest was starring in his first major film and he’d used the sudden influx of money to buy a ranch adjoining Thunder Mountain. “Matt’s premiere was another reason to come back. I want to go to LA with everybody next month.”

“Yeah, with all the people going, we might end up renting a couple of vans instead of flying. Anyway, my situation is changing and I’m looking for someone to take over for me at Matt’s. I thought you might be interested.”

“That could be a good deal for you, Junior,” Cade said. “Free room and board.”

Austin thought about it for less than two seconds. Good deal or not, it would mean he’d agreed to take care of someone else’s place instead of moving toward buying his own. He might have to start with a tiny apartment, but it would be his. Paying his rent on time would establish his creditworthiness when he applied for a home loan.

He gazed at Zeke. “Much as I’d like to help, staying at Matt’s doesn’t fit in with my plans. Sorry.” He noticed that Lexi and Cade exchanged a look. At one time he would have followed any advice either of them had given him. But he’d had four years of being completely on his own. He still respected their opinions, but he no longer felt obligated to make decisions based on what they thought.

“That’s okay.” Zeke shrugged. “Just thought I’d ask.” He moved to the table and took a seat. “Somebody will turn up.”

“They will.” Cade walked to the refrigerator. “Who’s ready for another beer? Junior?”

“In a little while, thanks. If you’ll all excuse me, I need to make a phone call.” He left the kitchen and walked through the living room and out to the porch. Now that the moment was here, he had to decide where he’d take Drew if she agreed to go out with him.

Then it came to him. Plopping into an Adirondack chair, he touched the screen and put the phone to his ear. Damn it, he got her voice mail. “Hi, this is Austin Teague. I enjoyed meeting you today and was hoping you’d have some free time tonight.” He gave his number and disconnected.

He knew she was going home because she had a video to edit, so she might have been engrossed in that and hadn’t heard the phone. Or maybe she automatically let every call go to voice mail. Then again, she might have turned off her phone. She might—

His phone chimed and her name popped up on the screen. Heart pounding, he answered. “Hi, Drew.”

“Hi, yourself.” She sounded happy. Interested. “Didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”

“Didn’t you?”

“Well, okay, I sort of did. What did you have in mind?”

He didn’t dare tell her what was in his mind this very minute. He’d already started imagining what it would be like to kiss her.

“Austin? Are you there?”

“Yes, ma’am. Sorry. I’m on the porch and got distracted by...” He glanced around for an excuse. “A butterfly.”

“I can understand how that could happen. They’re beautiful, aren’t they?”

“Yes, ma’am. Anyway, here’s my thought, if you’re available for dinner. We’ll have a cookout.”

“Where?”

“There’s a nice little spot on a far corner of the ranch property. Since you’re not into cooking, I’ll handle that.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“I can pick you up.”

“That’s totally unnecessary. I’ll meet you there. What time?”

He glanced at the time on his phone and quickly calculated how long he’d need to set things up. “Is seven too late?”

“Seven’s perfect. That will give me time to finish the video and send the link to Cade and Lexi. I’ll see you then.”

“Great!” He disconnected the call. He’d just given himself a heck of a lot of work to do in a short time. This was his deal so he wouldn’t raid the Thunder Mountain kitchen for what he needed.

But he had a transportation problem. His foster mom and dad had been generous with the loan of their truck but they weren’t back from town. He really did need to buy that courtin’ truck Cade had teased him about, but he certainly wouldn’t be doing that between now and seven tonight.

As if in answer to his silent plea, Herb and Rosie drove up and parked in front of the porch steps. Austin got up and went around to the passenger side where Rosie was to see if he could help with her packages.

His foster mom was a short, rounded lady who had decided to be a blond for the rest of her life. She was the kindest woman Austin had ever known, but tough enough to keep her foster boys in line. Most of the time there had been at least ten boys living in the log cabins down in the meadow. They’d all known that Rosie was the boss around here.

She’d already opened her door but he was able to take her shopping bags and give her a hand down. She was perfectly capable of doing all that herself, but she’d taught her boys to be gentlemen. They’d practiced their manners on her because usually she’d been the only available woman.

“Are you the sentry?” she asked as she stepped down from the truck’s running board.

“The sentry?”

“You know. The lookout. The person watching for us in case we got home before whatever was happening was still happening.”

“Oh. No, ma’am.” Then he realized he hadn’t contradicted her assumption that something secret was going on. “I mean, nothing’s happening. Nothing at all. Zeke’s inside talking to Cade and Lexi. That’s about the size of it.”

“I saw Zeke’s truck parked down by the barn.” Herb, a wiry man who’d finally surrendered to wearing glasses in his later years, chuckled as he walked around the truck to join them. “We dawdled in town as long as we could but finally ran out of things to do other than cruising Main Street. That looks a little strange for a couple of sixtysomethings.”

“Like I said.” Austin tried to blot out the image of Drew because she was part of the secret. “Not a single thing going on, except the sink’s fixed.”

“Thank you!” Rosie beamed at him. “By the way, now that some of my boys are back, they sometimes get together for poker. If they ask you to play, you might want to think twice.”

“Yes, ma’am, I already know I’m lousy at poker. Some of the guides got me into a game and ended up with all my tip money for the week.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. But at least now you know it’s not your thing.”

“Nothing wrong with being a bad liar, son.” Herb clapped him on the shoulder. “So are you saying it’s okay for us to go in the house?”

“Absolutely. But now that you’re back, would it be possible for me to borrow the truck to run a few errands?”

“Sure thing.” Herb handed over the keys.

“And would it be okay if I used a Coleman stove for a little cookout on the back twenty tonight? I’ll get the food, but I’ll also need to borrow some tongs and a pan or two.”

Rosie smiled at him. “This sounds like it could be a date.”

“It is.” And now he was in the soup because she’d probably ask who he’d asked out and how he could possibly have met someone when he’d been in town exactly two days. He was saved when Zeke, Cade and Lexi came out the front door.

Amid much laughter and teasing, Rosie and Herb promised they wouldn’t try to uncover whatever surprise was in the works. Lexi wanted to see what they’d bought in town so Austin handed her the bags and excused himself to go put on a shirt. That finished, he grabbed his hat and wallet and headed out the door, his shirt still unbuttoned. He was eager to get away before he had to answer any more questions that would bring up the subject of Drew being here.

But Lexi had to call out to him. “Does this mean she said yes?”

“She did.”

Rosie lifted her eyebrows. “So who’s the lucky lady?”

“I’ll let Lexi explain it.” Touching his fingers to the brim of his hat, he hurried around the truck, hopped in and made his escape.

Chapter Three

Drew pulled into the ranch’s circular gravel drive exactly at seven. The sun had dipped behind the Bighorn Mountains, but there was still plenty of light to see Austin sitting on the porch in one of the Adirondack chairs. The picture he made in his gray Stetson, yoked Western shirt, boots and faded jeans was exactly why so many women fantasized about cowboys.

That outfit, especially on a man built like Austin, made her feel safe. Like the knights of old, he would leap on his horse and ride to her rescue. Even though she didn’t need rescuing, she still loved the idea of a cowboy hero who’d protect her from the bad guys and look great doing it.

He left his chair as she shut off the motor. Anticipation thrummed through her veins as he came down the steps with the slightly bowlegged stride common to men who’d spent most of their lives on horseback. Oddly enough, she hadn’t dated cowboys while living in Montana.

In high school and college she’d hung out with the art students and at home her life had revolved around the family restaurant. She’d dated some artist types and a couple of chefs but no cowboys. Thunder Mountain, however, was chockablock with them.

She moved her purse to the floor of the passenger side out of habit. Nobody would break into her truck to steal it while she was parked here. She tossed the keys down there, too, and opened her door. She’d started to climb out when he rounded the front of the vehicle.

“Let me help you down.”

Amused, she waited. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had made that offer. He knew perfectly well she was capable of getting down by herself. But when he held out his hand, she was charmed.

“I like your hair like that.”

“Thanks.” Most of the summer she’d worn it in a braid or a ponytail but she’d decided to leave it down tonight. She was on a date, after all.

“I’m glad you could make it.”

“Me, too.” She put her hand in his and the controlled strength in his grip sent a shiver of pleasure up her arm. “Fortunately the editing went well and I had time to finish the video.” Then she glanced around, not sure who might be within hearing distance. “Did you have to dream up a story to explain to your folks how we ended up going out tonight?”

“I have Lexi to thank for that. She told them you came out today to check on some details for the wedding video.” He let go of her hand once she had both feet on the ground.

“That will give them another hint, though.” She breathed in the scent of his aftershave. “They know something’s going on.”

He sighed. “You’re right. Now they might think it involves a video. My mistake. If we’d met in town I could’ve snuck away without explaining I was meeting someone.”

“I didn’t think of that, either, so I’m as much at fault as you.” Something else occurred to her but when she gazed into his blue eyes she lost her train of thought.

He smiled. “Not letting you shoulder any of the blame, ma’am. I complicated things, case closed.”

Ah, that smile. And speaking of shoulders...

She remembered what she’d been about to say. “Actually, Lexi took a risk when she invited me in for a beer. When I pointed out that Rosie and Herb might come back and find me there, she came up with that cover story she used to help you out.”

“Yeah?” He brightened. “I didn’t know that.”

“And if she hadn’t invited me in for a beer, you and I wouldn’t have met.”

“So it’s all Lexi’s fault?”

She laughed. “Pretty much.”

“Now I don’t feel so guilty. I just thought a cookout would be more fun than a boring restaurant meal.”

“You’ve got that right. I was thrilled with the suggestion. I’ve spent so much time in Martinelli’s that I don’t care if I never eat in another restaurant again.”

“Then I’m glad I thought of it.”

“So where are we headed? Backyard barbecue? Fire pit?”

He gestured toward the edge of the porch. “We’ll take the ATV out to the back twenty.”

She looked and sure enough, a green-and-brown ATV was sitting there. She’d been so focused on his handsome self she hadn’t noticed it. “The back twenty? I’ve only heard people refer to the back forty.”

“They do.” He started walking toward the ATV. “But this ranch isn’t that big so we have the back twenty. We joke about it, but I have great memories of the place. It’s where we used to camp out when we were kids. Or I should say, when I was a kid and was allowed to tag along with the big guys. I came here when I was nine. Everybody else was a teenager.”

“And so they called you Junior.”

“Mostly Cade.” He stopped next to the ATV and turned to her with another one of his endearing smiles. “I don’t mind it as much as he thinks I do. I did back then, but now...now I think he says it because he likes me.”

“I’m pretty sure he likes you.” She wondered if Austin had any idea how appealing he was. “Cade strikes me as the kind of guy who only teases people he likes.”

He nodded. “These days, probably so. But you should have heard the way he said Junior years ago when I used to bug him to death. I followed him everywhere. Looking back on it, I wonder why he didn’t deck me. I’ll bet he wanted to but I was a lot smaller and he’d never have beat up on someone smaller.”

“Then he must like you, because you’ve grown enough for him to beat up on if he wanted to.”

“Guess so.” He laughed. “Come to think of it, yesterday he said now I was too big to mess with, especially since he’s hit thirty and is losing muscle mass.”

“So if he’s thirty, how old are you?”

“Twenty-six.”

“Huh.” She decided to go for full disclosure and get it over with. “How do you feel about having a cookout with an older woman?”

“I don’t care how old you are.”

“For the record, I’m twenty-eight.”

He shrugged. “Two years is nothing.” He turned toward the ATV, but then swung back to her. “Unless you’re not happy about going out with a younger guy. Some ladies would rather date someone older than they are. I’ve run into a few of those.”

Silly women. “I’m not one of them.”

“Good to know.” He swung one long leg over the ATV. “Climb on behind me and we’ll get this show started. Oh, and hold on tight. I won’t be going fast but we’ll hit some bumps along the way. Can’t help it. The rain’s done a number on the road.”

She needed no encouragement to wrap both arms around his solid torso and scoot against his firm backside. Riding on the back of an ATV with Austin immediately became her favorite outdoor activity. What a great excuse to get up close and personal with a guy who not only looked good but felt even better.

The ride ended long before she was ready to let go of him. He pulled into a clearing with a boundary marked by rocks spaced a few inches apart. Beyond them the brush, mostly sage, grew three to four feet high.

But now they’d stopped and she felt obliged to climb off, darn it. She had a nice buzz going and she had the crazy urge to ask if that had been as good for him as it had been for her.

When he just sat there while he took a couple of deep breaths, she had a feeling it had been.

“Lordy.” His low chuckle was followed by a long sigh. “Maybe I should have taken you to a restaurant in town, after all.”

“Oh?”

“I knew I was attracted to you, but I thought I could manage a short ATV ride. Turns out it affected me more than I thought it would.” He climbed off the four-wheeler and faced her. “But everything’s under control now.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “I promise you’re safe with me.”

She met his gaze. “If it makes you feel any better, the drive turned me on, too.”

Heat flared in his eyes.

She felt obliged to add one more fact. “But we just met.”

“Only hours ago.”

“At this point it wouldn’t be about you and me as individuals with histories and personality quirks. It would be like strangers scratching an itch. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I—”

“I didn’t invite you out here to scratch an itch. I’m past that stage in my life.”

“Good. So am I. Come to think of it, I never went through that stage.” She noticed a folded blanket on top of a metal ice chest but that was probably so they’d have a place to sit. “I’ve always wanted to get to know someone first.”

“Exactly.”

“It’s good we’re agreed on that.” Definitely good. Maybe. Except he wasn’t some guy she’d met in a bar. She knew his foster family. She knew he’d been to New Zealand. She knew he could fix a clogged sink. “I see you’ve toted everything out here already, so let’s have our meal and swap stories.”

“That was my plan.” He gestured toward the campsite he’d set up. “Welcome to our dining room. That little fire pit is strictly for ambiance. I’m using the Coleman stove to make dinner. Cooking over a campfire gives you lots of atmosphere but it can also give you undercooked or overcooked food.”

“A Coleman stove sounds fine. I have one myself.”

“You do? I thought you didn’t cook.”

“I don’t when I have alternatives, but I camp out quite a bit when I’m shooting nature videos. I love my coffee in the morning and scrambled eggs are nice to go with it. What can I do to help?”

“The cooking’s my deal, but you can light the campfire if you want. I left some matches next to it.”

“Looks like you thought of everything.” She walked over and crouched next to the fire pit where he’d arranged kindling and a couple of larger logs. Extra wood was stacked nearby. She recognized a fire laid by someone who knew what he was doing and sure enough, it caught with one match. “Done.”

“Then all you have to do is keep an eye on it and add a log if you think it needs one. You can have a seat on the blanket and I’ll get you something to drink.”

“I won’t object to that.” She found a good spot for the blanket, folded it so two could fit and sat down. The clearing had been raked recently but she’d guess the rocks defining the perimeter had been there for years.

“You know what?” He opened the ice chest. “I should have asked you about the wine instead of making an assumption because you’re Italian.”

“You brought Chianti.”

“No, I brought a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.” He held it up. “The assumption was that you were a wine drinker. Like I said, I should have asked.”