After the Storm: Clean Historical Western Cowboy Romance Novel (Dawson Chronicles Book 2) (5 page)

              Renee glanced at him.  “I’m glad you said that because I thought the same thing.  If Brody wasn’t man enough to stand up to Pa, then he’s not the man for me.  I mean, Pa’s pretty easy to reason with most of the time.  I’ve wasted months thinking about Brody.”

              Tim put a hand on her shoulder.  “You need a real man, Renee.  Someone who’s not gonna let anyone come between you and who won’t give up.”

              His voice held conviction and Renee looked into his eyes that gazed at her intently.  He’d never looked at her like that before—the way a man looked at a woman he desired.  “What are you saying?”

              “I’m saying that you need a man who can appreciate a fine, beautiful, spirited, intelligent woman like yourself.  Someone like me,” Tim said, feeling reckless.

              Renee’s heart sped up as shock zinged through her, leaving her speechless.

              Tim smiled, leaned towards her, and kissed her soft cheek.  “I’ll let you think about that.  Be careful going home.  I’ll have Joey drop me off at your place on his way to school.  Sweet dreams, honey.”

              He got out, gave the car a pat, and headed inside, leaving Renee to ponder what had just happened.  She put the car in gear again and drove out onto the main road.  She’d thought that Tim was just a friend, the same way Joey and Randy were.  Tim’s revelation was unsettling and she had no idea what to think about it.  It kept her mind busy all the way home and when she lay down to sleep, her mind kept turning the situation over, making sleep impossible for a long time.

              “I can’t believe she’s really going to move out,” Switch said to his best friend, Will Foster.  “Was I so wrong?”

              He sat in his rocking chair in Will’s woodshop in back of the furniture store Will and his wife, Rachel, owned.  Switch rarely sat normally in the chair.  Right then, he sat with his back propped up against one arm with his long legs hanging over the opposite arm.  Will had engraved Switch’s name on the back of the chair and Switch absently traced the lettering with an index finger.

              Will marked off a couple of measurements on a board before turning his green-eyed gaze on Switch.  “Well, I’m not sure how to answer that.  I can see why you’ve been concerned, but I’m not sure your methods were entirely correct.”

              Switch groaned.  “It’s hard when you hear things like that about your little girl and then you watch the way she looks at men and the way they look at her, Will.  I’m just trying to protect her.  I don’t want anyone taking advantage of her.”

              Will’s long-time friend and business partner, Hawk, said, “I feel the same way about Carissa.  I don’t think you were all that wrong.  I’ve had to talk to a few young men myself about her.  The only difference is that she knew I did it.”

              “Yeah, but you don’t know Renee.  She’s rebellious in her own way.  She’s politely rebellious,” Switch said.  “She doesn’t yell very much.  Last night was the first night her and Hope have ever shouted at each other.  It’s the first time that I’ve ever shouted at either of them, too.”

              Will knew how much Switch was hurting over the situation.  “Maybe she’ll calm down about it and decide to stay.  Give her a little time.”

              “That’s not gonna happen, my friend,” Switch said.  He flipped upside down in the chair.  “She means it.  She talked about it at breakfast this morning.”

              Will smiled at the way Switch crossed his legs even as they draped over the back of the chair.  “Well, kids do leave home, Switch.  I can’t believe that both of our girls are on their own now.”

              Hawk said, “And Jethro was about her age when he left home, and he went all the way to New York.”

              “I know, but it’s different with girls.”

              The outside door of the woodshop opened and Tim Dwyer walked in.  “Howdy, fellas.”

              They all greeted him.

              “What brings you?” Will asked.

              “Well, I came to talk to Switch.  Do you have a few minutes?” Tim asked him.

              Switch nimbly flipped right-side-up and felt pleasantly dizzy.  “Yeah.  What’s on your mind?”

              “Could we talk in private?” Tim asked.

              “Uh, sure,” Switch said.

              Will said, “Why don’t you use the storeroom?  No one will bother you there.”

              “Good idea,” Switch said, rising.  “To the storeroom, my good man!”

              Tim laughed at his theatrics and followed him to the room at the back of the shop. 

              “What’s this about?” Switch asked, closing and locking the door behind them.

              “Our families have been friends a long time,” Tim began.  “And we trust each other, right?”

              Switch nodded.  “Right.”

              “And you trust me, right?”

              Switch smiled.  “Of course, I do.  Where’s this going, Tim?  Is everything ok?”

              “Yeah.  Everything is fine.  I respect you, Switch.  You’ve always been good to me, sort of like an uncle, I guess.  What I’m getting at is that I’d never do anything to make you regret your trust in me,” Tim said.  “So that’s why I’m coming to you about this.”

              “About what?”

              “It’s about Renee.  You know we’re friends, but what you don’t know is that I’m attracted to her.  I sort of let her know how I feel last night, but I haven’t officially asked her out or anything because I wanted to talk to you first, man to man.  Will you let me court her?”

              Switch crossed his arms over his chest and regarded Tim with his brows drawn together.  Tim had been out plenty of times with Renee and as far as he knew there hadn’t been any hanky-panky between them.  If he’d trusted Tim on those occasions, couldn’t he trust Tim to court her?

              “Are you in love with her?  How long have you felt like this?  What are your intentions?  Have you kissed her?  Done anything else with her?  Because if you have—”

              Tim held up at hand.  “Switch, slow down.  Look, I’ve heard the rumors about Renee, if that’s what you’re worried about, but not all rumors are true.  You know that as well as I do.  I haven’t done anything more than kiss her on the cheek and hold her hand here and there; I swear.  We’ve just been friends until last night.

              “I became attracted to her at Sawyer’s wedding.  Before that, I didn’t really know her, but we had such a good time that day, that I wanted to spend more time with her and I’m glad I did.  She’s beautiful, kind, funny, and much more intelligent than some people know.  She’s also strong, opinionated, and irreverent about some things, and I appreciate her for all of those qualities.

              “I’ve never wanted to officially court anyone before, Switch, so that oughta tell you how much I think of your girl.  I don’t know what she’ll say about all of this.  I don’t know that she’ll ever think of me as more than a friend, but I’d like to find out.  I promise to treat her with respect and do my best to make her happy.  I don’t know about love yet, but I sure do like her an awful lot.  With all of that said, may I court Renee?”

              Switch carefully weighed Tim’s words.  He respected Tim for coming to him this way and putting all of his cards on the table.  Switch and Hope knew all of those things about their daughter, but to hear a potential beau appreciate Renee in such a way made Switch feel good.  He’d never heard anything bad about Tim and he loved and respected the Dwyers, who had always been good to their family.

              Switch’s left eyebrow quirked up as he considered something else: if Renee was out with Tim, he knew that Tim would protect her from other men and keep her out of trouble—hopefully.  The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of Tim courting Renee.

              “Tim, if Renee is agreeable, I’d be delighted to have you court her.  You’re a good man and I have no doubt that you’ll be good to her.  Thanks for asking me.  It means a lot that you did,” Switch said.

              They shook hands.

              “Thanks, Switch.  I promise to take good care of her,” Tim said.

              Switch patted his shoulder.  “I know you will.  Did she tell you that she’s going to move out when she finds a place?”

              “Yeah, she mentioned that,” Tim said.  “I know she was angry with you, but she really loves you and Hope.  She’s just grown up now, that’s all.  However, I will say this: if Brody was more of a man, he’d have come to you the same way I just did.  I’m not saying he’s not a good man, I’m just saying that he’s not as interested in her as I am.”

              Switch laughed.  “I agree.  I expected more of an argument from him.”  He shrugged.  “Oh, well.  His loss—and her gain, as far as I’m concerned.”

              “I’m glad you think so.  Well, I’ll let you get back to work; I have to get home and do some work so Daddy doesn’t chew me out,” Tim said.

              As he left the woodshop, elation filled Tim, making him grin as he got in his car and set out for home.  Everything was up to Renee now.  He decided not to go see her that day, knowing that she couldn’t be pushed about things.  It was far better to let her alone to think about the situation and come to him when she was ready.  However, he was optimistic that luck would smile favorably upon him.

*****

              On her lunch break, Renee sat down at a table in the little hospital cafeteria and prepared to eat her cold chicken sandwich.  She was very confused over the situation with Tim.  He’d never indicated before that he had romantic feelings for her.  However, looking back, she saw that he’d been paying her a lot of attention ever since Sawyer and Devon’s reception.

              They had lunch and he took her out.  He’d even had flowers delivered to her on her birthday.  Weren’t those all things a boyfriend would do for his girl?  Normally Renee could read men very well, so why hadn’t she picked up on his feelings?  Maybe he was just that good at hiding them. 

              Why hadn’t she thought of Tim in those terms before?  He was a very handsome man with his dark brown hair and brown eyes.  He resembled his mother, Lacey, more than he did Joe.  He was tall, broad-shouldered, and strong.  And he had a great smile, with a dimple in his right cheek. 

              Unlike other men, Tim had never pawed at her or treated her with anything but respect and affection.  He always showed her a good time and insisted on paying for everything, which showed his good upbringing.  Tim’s sense of humor matched hers and he never made her feel like her opinion didn’t matter because she was a woman.  Just the opposite was true.  He was always interested in what she thought and they discussed all sorts of serious subjects.

              “You look deep in thought,” said Dr. Marcus Samuels as he sat down across the table from her.  “Mind if I sit with you?”

              She smiled at the handsome man.  “Of course not, Dr. Samuels.  I’m always happy to have the company of such a fine-looking man.  Not to mention smart.”

              His gray eyes crinkled attractively as he smiled.  “Flirting will get you everywhere, but don’t tell my wife.”

              “I won’t if you don’t,” she teased.  “You’re a man.”

              He chuckled.  “How nice of you to notice.”

              “A great man whom women notice, doctor.  I’ve seen them.”

              Marcus put a hand to his chest.  “I’m not surprised.  I
am
quite a catch, you know.  Handsome and smart, as you pointed out, and I do hold a prestigious position in town.  I’m a good dancer and I can whistle, too.  Need I go on?”

              Renee laughed.  “No, I think you covered everything.  What I meant was that you can give me a man’s point of view.”

              Marcus ate a spoonful of beef vegetable soup before responding.  “What would you like to know?”

              “Well, I’ve recently come to discover that a man whom I thought was just a friend thinks of me as more than that.  I don’t know what to do about it.  It caught me off guard,” she replied.

              “Is he a good man?”

              “A very good man.  Kind, funny, thoughtful, and handsome, too,” she said.

              Marcus asked, “So what’s the problem then?  He sounds like a good catch.  Does he have steady work?  Is he responsible and honest?”

              “Yes.  He’s all of those things.  The thing is that I like having a male friend and I’m afraid if we explore a relationship, which I’ve never done before, that we’ll destroy our friendship if it doesn’t work out,” she said.

              “You’ve never been courted before?  I know that’s sort of become antiquated now.  You’ve never seriously dated anyone?” he asked.

              “No.  I’ve been out with men, but nothing serious.  I’ve never met anyone whom I liked well enough to see more than one or two times,” she said.  “And for the past few months, I’ve been interested in someone, but it turns out that he’s been afraid to go against Pa’s wishes regarding me.”

              Marcus smiled.  “Switch objected to this man, I take it.  God, I remember when he was just this gawky kid, and now he has grown kids.”

              “Yes, he objected and he’s been warning men away from me.  Apparently, I have quite the reputation around town, which I find odd since no one has ever said anything to me,” she said.  “I don’t really give a damn except that it’s prompted Pa to go behind my back.”

              “Well, fathers are like that with their little girls, Renee,” Marcus said.  “I was with Aiyana.  When I caught her and Mason kissing, I was madder than heck and it took Black Fox to help convince me that Mason was worthy of her.  Of course, it didn’t hurt that Mason came to me and asked permission to court her.  It makes a father respect a man if he’s willing to do that.  Are you attracted to this fella you’re friends with?”

              Renee finished her sandwich.  “I might be.  I should be.  He’s a virile, great-looking man.  I just never thought about him like that; I don’t know why.”

              “I’ll tell you why, or rather, you just told me why.  You wore blinders because you liked having him as a friend and you don’t want the relationship to suffer.  You must feel safe with him and have a good time with him.  Now, he took the blinders off your eyes.  You have to decide if you’re willing to risk a chance at happiness or play it safe,” Marcus said.

              She pondered his words and then smiled at him.  “You are very wise, Dr. Samuels.  I see what you’re saying.  I knew that you could help me.  Now, do you know of anyone who’s renting a small apartment?  I’d like my own place.”