The Cowboys Heart 1 (3 page)

I
was dumbstruck by his handsomeness, unable to
form a coherent thought let alone speak any actual words. So I stood there,
staring at him for far too long, but I just couldn’t help it. He was all man
with muscular arms, tanned skin, a strong jaw and deep, penetrating eyes. A
large, black Stetson sat atop his head, strands of dark brown hair curled
around his ears.

“Ma’am?” He dismounted from his horse, and I watched his
long, lean legs as he hit the ground, that rope still clutched in his hand.
“Found your cow wandering through my pasture. It has your ranch tag on it, so
I’m just returning her.”

“Uh, that’s my cow?” Of all the things to say, I had to say
that. I was so stupid at times. Heat crept up my neck and face. I fanned my
cheeks with my hands then quickly dropped them to my sides, feeling like a
jerk.

The man smiled, and each side of his face caved in with two
of the most gorgeous dimples I’d ever seen. The effect they had on me was
surreal, and they should be illegal. My heart raced, and my breaths were
shallow.

“Yes, ma’am.” He held out the rope, and I took it, unsure
what else to do.

“Thanks.” I glanced around, hoping one of the ranch hands
were nearby, but of course they weren’t.

He nodded, tilting his hat in her direction. “I noticed a
large hole in your fence over by my property line.” He turned and pointed off
to his left. “Pretty sure that’s where she escaped. You’ll want to get that
fixed.”

“Yes, of course.” I clutched the rope tighter, and the cow
picked at the grass, chewing aimlessly, oblivious to me or the sexy stranger
who’d brought her home. “Thank you.”

Jamie’s bus pulled to a stop at the end of the driveway. He
walked with his head down, ear buds tucked in his ears, completely ignoring
everyone. He walked by with a quick glance at me and the cow, a slightly longer
look at the stranger, then he bounded up the porch steps.

“Don’t forget, Jamie, we have dinner plans tonight,” I
called after him. He didn’t give me any indication he’d heard me. I sighed.
Great. Now I’d have to fight with him to get him out of his room. Maybe I
should call my parents and invite them over here. It’d be easier.

“Well, I won’t keep you.” The man turned back to his horse
and slipped one foot into the stirrup.

“Wait,” I said a little louder than necessary. “I didn’t
even get your name.”

He graced her with another amazing smile. “Hudson Lyle.”

“Hudson.” I smiled. “I’m Heather Walsh.”

“It’s a pleasure.” His gaze moved between me and the cow. I
felt foolish for standing here, holding a roped cow. “Would you like some help
putting her away?”

I sighed with visible relief. “That would be great.”

Hudson took the rope from me. “Where would you like her?”

I looked around. I knew which barn the cows were kept in,
but I wasn’t sure if they were in there or out in the pasture. “Um, in that
faded red barn over there, the one with the broken door.” Talk about a mess. A
hole in my fence, a broken barn door, this place was falling apart.

He tugged on the rope, and the cow began to walk with him. I
fell in step beside him, my hands tucked in my back pockets. There was an air
of quiet arrogance to him, and I found that so attractive. My ex, Phillip, had
been much too needy, always asking for reassurance. It’s no wonder he found a
young thing to make him feel good about himself. But in the very brief time I’d
known Hudson, I had a feeling he wasn’t like that, he didn’t need a woman or
anyone to validate his self-worth. That was a refreshing quality.

“So, you said you saw the cow near your property line. You
live nearby?” I asked.

“Yes. I live just over there.” He pointed off toward the
left, same place he had before. “My ranch is just beyond that tree line over
there.”

“We’re neighbors. Lucky me.” I laughed nervously.

He glanced over and smiled, which sent my heart racing
again. “Or lucky me.” He winked then stopped at the barn door, opening it with
little effort. “Lead the way,” he said, motioning for me to go in ahead of him.

I took a deep breath and walked inside. While I knew the
cows were housed in this barn, I had no idea where this one went specifically.
As we walked down the center of the bar, I stopped at the first empty spot.
“Here is fine.”

Hudson expertly guided the cow into its spot and secured
her. Then he grabbed the rake leaning against the wall and gathered some hay
from the neighbor stall. He put it in front of her then rubbed her head. I
watched in amazement. He truly cared about her even though she wasn’t his.

“There.” He replaced the rake. “You really should get that
fence fixed as soon as possible. You’re lucky I found her. Some of the other
ranchers around here aren’t as honest. You could lose quite a bit of livestock
that way.”

Memories of the men who’d visited earlier flashed through my
mind, and I suppressed a shudder. I wanted to do something nice to thank him
for his kindness, but I didn’t have any money to give him. Living in the city,
the primary way to show gratitude was to give a tip, but I was positive that
didn’t work around here.

“Would you like to go back to the house and come in for a
drink? It’s the least I can do for you bringing back my cow.” I smiled,
silently wishing against all odds that he’d say yes.

He shrugged, showing the first signs of indecision and
embarrassment. “Sure.”

“Great.” We headed back to the house, and I led him in
through the kitchen. “Make yourself comfortable.” I nodded at the kitchen table
and made my way to the refrigerator. “I have lemonade, sweet tea, water. I have
some diet pop. Or I have coffee.”

“Some sweet tea would be great,” he said, his voice taking
on a deep, southern drawl. The sound sent a shiver down my spine.

I pulled the pitcher from the fridge and filled two glasses
then carried them to the table. I handed him one and sat in the chair across
from him. He took a long drink, and I watched with fascination at the way his
throat worked up and down, and the way he licked the excess liquid from his
bottom lip.

“This is some mighty fine tea. Did you make it?” he asked.

I nodded. “It was my grandmother’s recipe.”

“You’re Noreen’s granddaughter.” He tilted his head to the
side, studying me. “Yeah, I can see the resemblance. Noreen was a wonderful
woman. Sad to hear she passed.”

“Thank you.” It warmed my heart to know so many people had
admired my grandmother. Despite refusing to move here while she was alive, it
was nice to know she had people around who cared about her. “She left this
place to me,” I said, looking around at the interior of the house.

“You’re running it alone?” Hudson’s face turned a light
shade of pink, and I smiled, averting my gaze to my glass.

“Yes. It’s just me and my son, Jamie.” It wasn’t the
smartest or safest thing to tell him, but I had a good feeling about Hudson. He
didn’t give me the creeps like those other guys had. “Do you know anything
about the Jennings’ brothers?”

Hudson’s face went stoic, and if I wasn’t mistaken, anger
clouded his eyes. “You’d be best off to avoid those boys. They ain’t nothing
but trouble.”

I sighed. It was nice to know my suspicions and instincts
were still accurate. Now, more than ever, I was glad I’d declined their offer.
Even if they had come through with payment, I was sure doing business with them
would’ve been a nightmare.

“Do you have help around here?” Hudson asked, disrupting my
thoughts. “This is one of the largest ranches in the area. Your grandmother was
a strong woman, but even she had a lot of help.”

“I have about six men who stayed on to help, but I’ll be
honest, I have no idea what I’m doing.” I laughed.

Hudson smiled and took another drink of his tea. “Well, if
you need an extra pair of hands, I’d be happy to help out. Until you’re on
track with things, of course.”

I raised my eyebrows in shock. “You’d do that?” People in
the city were never this friendly, and most of the time they wouldn’t volunteer
to help out unless they expected something in return. “I can’t pay you.” I
frowned.

He chuckled, the sound like a virtual caress. “Good because I’m
not looking for a job. I’m just being neighborly, helping a pretty woman in
need.” He winked.

I felt my face flush with warmth, and I was again diverted
my attention to something else. Looking at him for too long was like staring at
the sun – exciting but dangerous. “Well, thank you. I’m meeting with my ranch
supervisor tomorrow morning to go over a list of chores. Could you come for
that? It would be nice to have someone else here who knows what’s supposed to
be done.”

“What time?”

“Six in the morning.” I scrunched up my face expecting him
to tell me I was crazy. But all he did was smile.

“I’ll be here.”

“Really?” Did I sound too excited about that? I cleared my
throat. “Thanks. Again.” I laughed. “I can pay you for tomorrow with eggs and
bacon.”

“Now that’s the best form of payment.” He chuckled and
finished his tea. Then he stood. “I’ll be heading back now. I recall you saying
you had dinner plans this evening. Don’t want to hold you up.”

I was surprised he remembered that considering I’d said it to
Jamie in passing. I stood as well, searching for a reason to get him to stay. I
was enjoying talking with him – and staring at him – and I desperately wanted
him to stay longer. “Oh, those plans.” I waved my hand in a dismissive gesture.
“They weren’t anything too important. In fact, I’ll probably just order a
pizza. You’re welcome to stay and join us.” I chewed on my bottom lip as I
waited for him to answer.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” I smiled. “It’s the least I can do.” I felt like I
owed him a huge debt for how nice he’s been to me. And I couldn’t deny I was
physically attracted to him. I hadn’t been on a date with anyone since my
divorce. There hadn’t been anyone I was interested in – until now. I glanced at
his left hand. No wedding band, and no tan line to indicate he’d had one and
removed it. That was good.

“All right. I’m going to take Carter home then I’ll be back.
He doesn’t do so well at night.”

I gave him a confused look. Carter? Oh, right. “Your horse.”

He laughed. “He’s more like my trusty sidekick, but he’s
getting up there in age. I won’t be too long.”

“That’s okay. Take your time. I’ll order the pizza.”

As soon as he was out the door, I rushed to find my cell
phone. I texted my mom first to let her know I wasn’t feeling well and to ask
if we could reschedule dinner. Thankfully she didn’t ask any questions or give
me a hard time. Next, I called the local pizza joint and ordered two large
pizzas. I forgot to ask Hudson what he liked, so I went with the standard
cheese and pepperoni.

“Jamie!” I shouted up the stairs.

“What?” he hollered back.

It stopped me in my tracks. Normally he ignored me. “I
ordered pizza for dinner. Our neighbor will be joining us.”

“I’m not hungry.”

I sighed. He was always hungry, but he was probably angry at
me over something again. He was always angry lately. “You can eat in your room
if you want.”

“Fine.”

Then I heard the sound of him turning up the radio. I had
half a mind to march up there and throw that damn radio out the window.
Instead, I turned and walked away, trying to remember he was struggling with
this change just as much as I was. Hopefully, with time, he’d come around and
realize it wasn’t so bad around here. With a resigned sigh, I headed down to
the basement. On top of everything else she did and was, Grandma was a wine
connoisseur, and she had an impressive stock of wine. I thought a nice red wine
would taste perfect with the pizza. I stopped halfway down the stairs. Wine?
What in the hell was I thinking? If I brought out a bottle of wine, Hudson
might think I thought this was some sort of date. And I didn’t think that. I
mean, it would be nice if it was, but it wasn’t.

I turned and went back upstairs just in time to hear a
pickup truck pulling into the driveway. I peeked out the front window. Hudson
was getting out of a rugged looking black Dodge Ram. It its better days, it was
probably a pretty sweet looking truck. But it had certainly seen better days. I
went to the door and opened it. “That didn’t take long at all.”

“Told you it wouldn’t.” He laughed and held up a brown paper
bag. “I brought a bottle of wine. Hope that’s okay. It was given to me as a
gift, and I’m generally not a big drinker…”

It was my turn to laugh. Apparently Hudson and I thought the
same way. I nodded. “That’s perfect.” I stepped aside to let him enter, and
took the bottle of wine. “I’ll chill this in the fridge until the pizza
arrives. Would you like something to drink in the meantime?”

“Another glass of that sweet tea would be nice,” he said,
pulling out the same chair he’d sat in earlier.

“Coming right up.” I poured him another glass and set it in
front of him. “I’m glad you came over today,” I said before I could filter my
thoughts and stop myself.

“I am, too. I’d heard around town that someone had taken
over the property, but I had no idea it was Noreen’s granddaughter.”

“Yeah, she left the house and all the property to me in her
will. It was a shock to say the least.”

“Why’s that?”

“She and I didn’t exactly part on good terms. The last we
spoke, we had a bit of a disagreement.” I frowned, remembering how heated that
discussion had been, how mean and inconsiderate I’d been toward her.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Families can be complicated.” His
tone implied he had some firsthand knowledge of that. I wanted to pry, but that
would be rude, so I just nodded in agreement.

There was a knock on the door, and I jumped up. “That’s
probably the pizza.” By the time she got the door opened, Hudson was beside
her.