A Real Cowboy Read online

  “Lucas fried the bacon, but he showed me how to make pancakes. All I have to do is pour the batter on the griddle and then flip them at the right time.” Sammy smiled at her proudly. “So, a short stack or a tall stack?”

  “A short stack for me,” she replied. “Although Lucas might want a tall stack.”

  “Sammy and I already ate,” Lucas said. “He’s been champing at the bit waiting for you to get out of bed so he could show you that he makes the best pancakes in the entire state of Oklahoma.”

  Sammy beamed and moved to the counter where a griddle and a large cup of batter awaited him. Nicolette tensed...hot griddle...little boy, her motherly instincts fired up.

  “He can do it,” Lucas said softly, as if he could read her thoughts and saw her concerns. “We’ve been practicing for the last half an hour and he doesn’t have a burn mark to show for it.”

  She smiled at him gratefully and curled her fingers around the warmth of her coffee mug. “I’m assuming Adam and Cassie have already left for her tour of the ranch.”

  “They left about an hour ago. I don’t expect them back for quite some time. It’s a big spread with lots of outbuildings.”

  “Mom, watch, I’m going to flip the pancakes now,” Sammy said. He flipped the two that were on the griddle perfectly.

  “That’s great, Sammy. I’m so proud of you,” she replied. He was growing up so fast, faster it seemed here at the ranch than in the city. He was experiencing so many new things and appeared to be thriving.

  It took only minutes for Sammy to deliver to the table a plate with two pancakes and two pieces of perfectly cooked crispy bacon. The butter and syrup were already on the table, and she helped herself to both.

  “I feel bad eating in front of you two,” she said.

  Lucas got up from his chair. “No reason to feel bad. While you’re enjoying your breakfast I’m going to supervise Sammy’s cleanup.”

  As she ate her breakfast, she gazed out the window and listened to Lucas’s soft voice explaining to Sammy how to clean the griddle and load a dishwasher.

  Outside the window the sound of chain saws at work indicated that some of the men were busy taking care of the tree damage the spring storm had left behind. It sounded like the beginning of the end because once the storm damage was repaired, Cassie would be ready to put the sale of the ranch in the hands of a local real estate agent and they’d all return to New York.

  By the time she’d finished eating, Lucas and Sammy had made plans with her permission to go out to the stables, where Lucas was going to teach Sammy how to brush down the horses.

  Finding herself alone in the house, she remained seated at the table, sipping coffee and trying to stay out of her own head.

  She felt out of control, bound by what Cassie decided and attracted to a man who hadn’t given her any signs that he was a forever kind of man. For goodness’ sake, he’d only kissed her once and he certainly hadn’t been particularly forthcoming about his background when they’d talked the night before. She really had no idea who Lucas Taylor was except that he was kind and patient with her son and his kiss had tasted of pure sin.

  With time on her hands and nothing else to do, she went upstairs and got her sketch pad and colored pencils, even though she wasn’t particularly in the mood to work on fashion drawing for a clothing line that had been only busywork for the woman who had been Samuel’s wife.

  It had been an acceptable little hobby that he’d talked about financing when the time was right, a hobby that Cassie had then encouraged with the idea of both of them becoming creative entrepreneurs.

  While Cassie had real talent, as Nicolette thumbed through her pages of designs, she knew in her heart of hearts that she was mediocre at best. She had allowed Cassie to fool her into thinking she could make it in the fashion world because after she’d left Samuel, Nicolette didn’t know where she fit into any world.

  She continued to gaze at her designs, and she made the decision that when they got back to New York City, she’d somehow figure how to get back into school and complete her teaching degree.

  She had only a year to go to get her degree. It would be tough, working and going to school and being a single parent, but somehow she’d make it work. Many women had made it work before her.

  Something about being away from the city had made her rediscover what her dream for herself had once been, and that was to teach second-or third-graders. That had been her life goal when she’d first met Samuel, and somehow she’d allowed herself to get thrown off course.

  Nicolette needed to have a talk with Cassie. She needed to tell her friend that once she sold this ranch, she wanted Cassie to buy Nicolette out of the store.

  Nicolette had lived Samuel’s life, and for the past couple of years she’d been living Cassie’s life. It was time she began to figure out how to live her own, whatever that life might be.

  She looked down and realized that while she’d been thinking, she’d been drawing, and she hadn’t sketched cute little skirts or romantic blouses. Instead she had drawn a picture of a man with attractive crinkles at the corners of his eyes, dark, slightly shaggy hair and lips curled up in simmering sensuality.

  She dropped the black chalk pencil and slammed the book closed. A faint irritation rode her shoulders as she took her sketchbook back up the stairs and stuffed it away in the pocket on the side of her suitcase. She sat on the edge of the bed, wishing Cassie was back from her tour of the ranch.

  The problem was that she had far too much time on her hands, too much time to think, too much time to fantasize about a man she had no business fantasizing about.

  She had just about decided to go outside and check on her son when a knock sounded at the front door. She hurried down the stairs and looked outside to see Chief of Police Dillon Bowie standing on the front porch.

  She opened the door and stepped outside into the late-morning sun. “Chief Bowie,” she said in greeting.

  “Nicolette, right?” he asked.

  “That’s right.”

  “Is Cassie around?”

  Nicolette shook her head. “Cassie is with Adam someplace on the property. I’m the only one here right now. Are you here about what happened last night?” She looked at him eagerly, hoping he had an answer that would make some kind of sense.

  “I just came by to tell you all that I talked to Lloyd Green last night and according to him he was no place near here.”

  “Of course he would say that,” she scoffed. “He wouldn’t just come out and confess to being here last night.”

  Dillon looked at her sympathetically. “Unfortunately he had a couple of his buddies who provided an alibi for him. According to them they were all at Greg Alberton’s apartment in town drinking beer and telling tales most of the night.”

  “And you believe this?” she asked.

  He frowned, his dove-gray eyes deepening in hue to a steely gray. “It doesn’t matter whether I believe it or not,” he replied. “Unless one of his buddies tells me differently, or I get more information, I have to assume he was where they all said he was.”

  “Then, who could have possibly tried to get into the house last night?” Nicolette asked.

  “I still think it’s possible that somebody from town knew there were two city women here and that it was probably an attempted robbery. I want to assure you that this isn’t a closed case by any means. I intend to continue to ask questions and investigate until we know who was on that ladder outside the window.”

  “I appreciate it,” Nicolette replied, although she’d been hoping that creepy Lloyd Green was guilty and his reason would have been to scare the “spoiled city brat” and his tea-throwing mother.

  “Just as I suspected, we didn’t get any prints off the ladder and it’s a common make and model that’s sold both at the feed store and the hardware store. Most ranches in the area have more than a couple.”

  “Then you probably won’t learn where it came from,” Nicolette replied with disappointment.
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  “Probably not,” he replied.

  “I appreciate your candor, although I wish you had some answers for me.”

  “I’ll get the answers, Nicolette. Trust me, that’s my goal,” he replied.

  Minutes after Dillon left with a promise to stay in touch, Nicolette headed out the back door toward the stable area. The sound of chain saws still rode a faint breeze, and she enjoyed the scent of fresh wood chips mingling with the sweet spring air.

  She had just reached the large building when Sammy and Lucas stepped outside. Lucas had his hand on Sammy’s shoulder and the two of them were laughing. Her heart squeezed at the sight of her son’s utter happiness.

  “Well, don’t you two make a fine pair,” she said.

  Lucas clapped Sammy on the shoulder. “Your son is a natural around the horses.”

  “It was so cool, Mom. I got to brush Lucky and Lady and Jasper, but only Forest gets to brush Demon. He’s a half-wild horse that belongs to Forest and only Forest takes care of him.”

  “Forest?” Nicolette shook her head as she tried to place the man. “I guess it’s going to take me several more days before I can put names to all the faces around here.”

  “Lucas wants to take us to lunch today at the café.” Sammy’s smile faltered a bit. “He said he wants to make a good experience where we had a little bit of a bad one.”

  A wave of distaste swept through her. She really had no desire to return to the café, although she knew she was being silly. The café hadn’t been the problem. Only one of the men who had been a customer had been an issue.

  “That sounds like a good idea,” she agreed. The last thing she wanted was for Sammy to think his spilled milk and the over-the-top result had been a big deal.

  “Good. Why don’t we all meet in the great room in about an hour? That will give Sammy and me time to clean up,” Lucas replied.

  “Sounds like a plan,” she agreed.

  They headed toward the house and Sammy dominated the conversation, telling her each and every detail about brushing and grooming horses.

  She listened absently and tried to still the dread that chased through her at the thought of potentially running into Lloyd Green and his band of buddies once again.

  * * *

  Cassie tried to focus on everything that Adam pointed out to her as they rode in a small golf cart–like vehicle around the property. But her mind kept racing with thoughts of New York City and how much she wanted to be back where she belonged.

  How much merchandise would the store have moved in the days they had been gone? Would she have sold a painting or two? She longed for the customers drifting in and out of the shop, the conversations about happenings in Central Park and the madness of whatever else might be happening on the city streets.

  This ranch had been her aunt’s dream, never hers. She didn’t want to learn everything there was to know about the ranch because she didn’t intend to keep it.

  Still, Adam was a handsome man and she didn’t mind his company at all, although he was taking his teaching of her a bit too seriously. But he was the last person she wanted to know that she intended to sell the place, so she tried her best to stay focused on his desire to educate her.

  “Tomorrow you might want to be in the lower pasture. We’re going to be tagging cattle all day,” he said, pulling her from her inward vision of the hustle and bustle of Times Square at noon.

  “Tagging cattle?” She turned and looked at Adam and couldn’t help but notice the very strength that rode his lean features, the solidness of his broad shoulders.

  “For years we didn’t brand the cattle in any way at all. Your aunt believed it was an out-of-date, rather barbaric tradition. Then we found too many of our cattle missing. We always suspected Raymond Humes of encouraging his men to rustle our cattle whenever possible, and eventually your aunt decided to microchip them instead. So, tomorrow right after sunup, Dr. Dan—Dan Richards, the local vet—is coming out to put the chips in the ears of all the cattle.”

  “How long will it take?” She couldn’t imagine getting up at dawn to watch the whole process of tagging hundreds of cattle.

  “He’ll probably finish up sometime just after noon or so.”

  “Then I’ll try to make it out before then.”

  She pointed to the shed in the distance. The storm damage was instantly visible, as half the building had collapsed to the ground. “What was that used for before the storm?”

  “Hay storage and equipment for the winter months,” he replied.

  “Can it be repaired?”

  “Doubtful. Part of the wooden floor collapsed when the building fell. There’s just too much damage to try to repair. It’s probably going to have to be pulled down and another one built.”

  “Once the trees are all cut up, I think that should probably be the next project. There’s enough money to build a new one, and we’ll need the shed space come winter.” And by then the last of the storm damage would be taken care of and Cassie and Nicolette could get back to the city, where they belonged.

  * * *

  It was a coincidence that Daisy led the three of them to the same booth where they had eaten lunch before. Instead of curious gazes from the other diners, Lucas was greeted by most of the people, friendly smiles moving from him to embrace Nicolette and Sammy, as well.

  “I guess the friendliness of the crowd depends on the company you keep,” she observed once they were seated with Sammy next to Lucas across from her. “It’s obvious you’re well liked around here.”

  She was surprised to see Lucas’s cheeks grow dusty with faint color. “It’s not so much because of me personally. It’s more the fact that I was one of Cass’s cowboys. Other than Raymond Humes and his gang of thugs, most people had high regards for Cass Holiday.” His eyes darkened with obvious grief.

  He sat up straighter and plucked Sammy’s hat off his head and handed it and his own hat across the table for Nicolette to put on the seat next to her.

  “A real cowboy never sits at a table and eats with his hat on,” he explained to Sammy.

  “What else does a real cowboy do?” Sammy asked.

  Lucas frowned thoughtfully. “A real cowboy protects the innocent and the helpless. He never tells a lie because his word is his honor. He’s trustworthy and always helps people in trouble. He’s a good friend and takes pride in his work.” Lucas paused with a grin. “And I think that’s enough for you to take in for one day.”

  At that moment Daisy appeared at their table to take their orders. While they waited for their meals to arrive, Lucas explained the tagging that would take place the next day with the cattle.

  “Kind of like what people do with their dogs,” Sammy said. “That way if their dogs get lost they can find them.” He shot a longing look at Nicolette. “I wish I had a dog.”

  “You know we can’t have pets in the apartment,” she replied.

  “But if you all are planning to stick around here, I know a good breeder...” Lucas let his voice trail off as Nicolette narrowed her eyes at him. “Anyway, nice day, isn’t it?”

  Sammy frowned at Nicolette, as if he knew she’d halted the talk of any dog. Thankfully Daisy returned with their meals and the conversation turned to favorite foods.

  “Give me a good steak any night,” Lucas said and then took a bite of his oversize burger.

  “Pizza,” Sammy replied. “Give me a good pizza any night.”

  It amused Nicolette that Sammy had used the exact same wording as Lucas. There was definitely more than a little bit of hero worshipping happening between her son and Lucas.

  “Cookie makes great pizza,” Lucas replied. “When I know he’s going to make pizza, you can come down to the bunkhouse for dinner.”

  Lucas looked at her, his eyes holding a faint simmer that made her think he might be entertaining thoughts of the kiss they had shared. “What about you? What do you like?”

  Your lips against mine. She forced the inappropriate answer out of her head. “Steak
is good. Pizza is good, but my all-time favorite is a BLT, heavy on the B. In fact, you could put bacon on pretty much anything and I’d eat it.”

  Sammy and Lucas continued to talk about food and cowboy things and Nicolette simply ate her salad and enjoyed the happiness that shone on her son’s face, the happiness that she felt at this very moment.

  She shouldn’t be feeling so happy just seeing her son and Lucas interact. She shouldn’t feel so happy just remembering the sinful slide of Lucas’s lips against her own.

  When was the last time she’d felt truly happy? She couldn’t remember. Maybe in those early days with Samuel when she’d really believed he was going to set up charity foundations and build a company and do worthwhile things. Had she been truly happy then? She honestly couldn’t remember.

  Certainly the day that Sammy had been born she’d known true happiness, but there had been too many days since then filled with disappointments, heartaches and worries. Right now she’d found her happy and she simply enjoyed the moment.

  She held on to that happiness until Lloyd entered the café with three scruffy-looking men just behind him and they all took seats at the counter. Thankfully Sammy and Lucas had their backs to the counter so Sammy didn’t see the man who had terrified him as they finished their meals.

  It was only as they got up to leave that Lucas saw Lloyd. Lloyd turned around on his stool, as if anticipating a problem. Nicolette put her arm around Sammy’s shoulder and grabbed Lucas’s arm with her other hand. She didn’t want any trouble, but apparently Lloyd had other ideas.

  “Have you been demoted to babysitting patrol, Lucas?” Lloyd smirked from his stool.

  Lucas cast his gaze to the men with Lloyd. “Looks like you’re the one doing the babysitting, or maybe you’re the one who needs babysitting.”

  Lloyd’s eyes narrowed. “Now that Cass is gone, maybe some of the people around here will remember that all of her cowboys were nothing but street scum before coming here to Bitterroot.”

  Lucas stepped closer to Lloyd, and Nicolette’s hand slipped off his arm and her heart beat a little faster with a dreadful anticipation.

  “Just a word of advice, Lloyd,” Lucas said, his voice soft and deceptively pleasant. “You ever verbally abuse or touch the boy or his mother again, and you’ll be sipping beer without teeth for the rest of your life.”