The Texan and the Cowgirl Read online

  Things were slow at the office, and once Darla and the kids left, very quiet. All their current jobs were on schedule. There was no rain to slow down concrete pours or lumber deliveries. No cold weather to interfere with adhesives or solvents. Just heat and more heat that left the crews working shorter shifts, or starting work earlier in the morning so they could end their day before the temperatures reached well over one hundred degrees.

  Cassie picked up her cell phone and called Charlie. He answered on the fourth ring.

  “Hello?” He sounded breathless, as if he’d been exercising.

  “Hi. Did I interrupt something?”

  “Naw, it’s okay. What’s up?”

  “I just talked to Darla. Everything is on schedule for the wedding and reception. The women are doing most of the work. So I just wondered…well, since you’re looking after where we’re going to live, can I do something to help? Maybe buy some furniture?”

  “Furniture?”

  “Like a bedroom set or a couch or something?”

  “Um, I’m not sure.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I don’t know exactly what we need yet.”

  “Charlie, it’s Friday. It’ll take time to get anything delivered.”

  “We’re almost there.”

  “We? Where?”

  “I mean, I almost know exactly what we’ll need.”

  Cassie frowned. What was he up to? “Okay. When will you know?”

  “Later, by the time you get off work. How about dinner out tonight?”

  “That would be nice, but I’m going to the stables at six o’clock for a riding lesson. I figured I wouldn’t have a chance next week if we…well, if we take time off like we planned.”

  “Want some company?”

  “Sure. My riding isn’t up to your standards, though.”

  “I’d love to watch you and see your horse.”

  “Okay, then. Castleview Stables at six o’clock.”

  “See you then. Oh, and Cassie?”

  “Yes?”

  “If you want to buy something, a big flat-screen TV is always a good idea.”

  She chuckled. “Boys and their toys. Are we going to have a wall to put it on?”

  “Absolutely!”

  “Okay, then. See you at the stables.” She disconnected the call, still smiling at Charlie’s suggestion. That might be a nice wedding gift, though. All men wanted a big TV so they could watch sports. The house on the Lazy Y had one in the living room. Where would a new TV go?

  She had no idea, but other people did, and they probably weren’t going to share Charlie’s secret with her, she thought as she logged on to the Walmart website to see what TVs were available. As much as she didn’t like surprises, the best thing to do was try to be patient and, as Darla said, have a little faith in her future husband.

  “YOU DID GREAT,” CHARLIE said after Cassie finished her riding lesson. “I’m impressed.”

  She rode through the gate and he shut it behind her horse. “Really?” she asked. “We need to work on lead changes.”

  “I noticed that, but otherwise, you’re good.” He walked to the head of her horse and held the bridle as she dismounted. She might be nearly three months’ pregnant, but she still looked real fine in her Wranglers.

  “What do you think about moving Rooster to the Lazy Y?” he asked as she bent down to adjust her jeans over her boots.

  She looked up, her smile fading. “I guess that would be best. I’ll miss my lessons, though.” She stood up and brushed her hands on her pink T-shirt.

  “I’ll help you.” When that didn’t bring an excited response, Charlie added, “Or we could get your instructor to come out there and give you lessons.”

  “Really?”

  “If that would make you happy, darlin’, I think it’s a great idea,” he said as they walked side by side back to the barn.

  She turned and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you. That’s a very nice thing to say.”

  He caught her in his arms, holding on to Rooster’s reins with one hand. “You’re welcome, darlin’,” he said, then lowered his head and kissed her.

  She seemed startled for just an instant, then her hands tightened around his neck and he pulled her closer. Their bodies fit perfectly and he immediately wanted more. Deepening the kiss, he ran his free hand down her back to the spot where her cute little bottom filled out those Wranglers so nice.

  Something shoved him from behind, and hot horse breath snorted over his arm.

  Cassie pulled away, startled, then began to laugh. “I think Rooster is jealous.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Charlie said. “He’s a gelding, after all.”

  “Yes, but he loves me!” Cassie said with a chuckle, stroking her horse’s nose.

  Charlie felt a funny little hitch in his stomach, right there where jealousy sometimes pushed him to show more than he was willing to reveal. He shook off the feeling. He was not going to be jealous of a horse just because Cassie claimed Rooster loved her. It was more likely that the horse wanted food or water.

  Charlie managed a smile. “How about we get this guy back to his stall and we find a bite to eat? I could use a burger and some fries.”

  Cassie seemed to consider his question for just a moment. “You know, I think I could eat something tonight. I feel pretty good. Must be the riding,” she added with a flirty twinkle in her eye.

  “That must be it,” Charlie replied with his best sexy leer, making her laugh.

  He took her hand and smiled as they walked across the dusty yard toward the barn. Cassie might be a smart, well-educated businesswoman during the day, but she had the heart of a cowgirl when she put on those jeans.

  Chapter Ten

  “Well, what do you think?” Colby asked Charlie as they stood outside the former foreman’s cottage.

  For the past three days the guys had worked on fixing up the old place. They’d ripped out cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom, pulled up linoleum flooring, and broken out one wall separating the kitchen and living room. It was now, as Toni called it, “open concept.” Kind of a fancy word for a small two-bedroom house.

  “Mom and Dad are going to be surprised,” Charlie said. “The old place has never looked this good.” Probably because all the men who had lived here were single. No woman’s touch had ever softened the foreman’s house.

  “They’ll be here late Saturday,” Colby said. “I talked to Dad this morning. They’re really surprised about this sudden wedding.”

  I’ll bet they are. “They’ll like Cassie.”

  “I’m sure they will, but it’s still a surprise,” Colby pointed out.

  Charlie didn’t want to talk about their parents’ reaction to the news he was getting married. He had enough on his plate at the moment. “I think the outside looks pretty good, but it still needs a little sprucing up on the porch and the yard. Maybe a couple of rocking chairs and a few flowers would make it look more homey.”

  “You’re right. Cassie’s one of those real homey women who want things to look pretty, isn’t she?”

  “I suppose,” Charlie answered, “but she’s also very practical. For example, if I told her we could make it pretty but we’d have to go into debt, I’d bet you that she’d say we shouldn’t spend the money.”

  “That would be a nice quality in a woman.”

  “She’s got a lot of good qualities.” He was finding that he liked Cassie more and more as they got closer to the wedding. And he wanted her something fierce. She’d told him over burgers last night that they had to wait for the “I do’s” before she said yes to jumping into bed.

  “I’ll see what I can do about the porch and maybe a walkway from the drive to the front door,” Charlie said. Cassie would not want to sink ankle-deep in mud once the rains started back up in September.

  “Okay. Well, I’m going to see if Burl and Cal need anything before I head into town for those plumbing fixtures Leo ordered. Who would have thought ab
out putting a sink on top of a vanity?”

  “Two sinks,” Charlie corrected his brother. “His and hers vessel sinks on the new van-i-ty.” He exaggerated the word.

  Colby chuckled, shook his head and walked back into the house.

  Toni was the only woman in on the project, and that was because they really needed her help. Leo was an investor in their renovation company, Casale Remodeling, but Toni was the one with the eye for detail. She could see the potential in an old public building or a small cottage. Burl Maxwell was a shop teacher who knew how to do almost anything. Cal Crawford and Wyatt McCall provided much-needed muscle, and Wyatt offered to buy some of the required materials as a wedding gift to Cassie since she used to work for him and now worked for his wife. Several more of the local men had also worked on the house, but they weren’t as skilled.

  Like James Brody, Charlie remembered, smiling to himself. James had nearly ruined his right hand—his lawyering hand, as he called it—when he tried to help nail up the new header after they’d removed the load-bearing kitchen wall.

  Charlie had told James that if he wanted to help, he could draw up a will. Charlie had promised Cassie that she and the baby would be taken care of if something happened to him, and he needed to keep that promise.

  All in all, despite a few scrapes and bruises, the house had come together nicely. Cassie would be pleasantly surprised. They still needed to paint the new drywall in the living room, plus put the finishing touches on the bathroom, but both jobs would be done by Sunday.

  He pulled a tattered yellow paper out of his pocket, which was damp with sweat, and wrote “porch & walk” on it so he wouldn’t forget to get the materials he needed. He stood for a moment looking at the new front door, stained a medium oak and sporting a fancy leaded glass windowpane in the center. He might just carry his bride over the threshold, into their new house.

  Okay, time to stop daydreaming and get busy. He folded his paper up and slipped it back into his pocket, wiped the sweat from his eyes with a shop towel, and got back to work.

  Sunday couldn’t come fast enough.

  ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON, Darla insisted Cassie go to Clarissa’s House of Style for a mani-pedi, facial and a few subtle highlights. The theory was that if Cassie were really busy, she wouldn’t think about tomorrow.

  Her aunt and uncle had called that morning to say they were going to spend the night in Oklahoma City. They wanted to see the reflecting pool, which was a memorial to the tragic bombing at the Murrah Federal Building. On Sunday they’d be just a short drive away up Highway 281, and should be in Brody’s Crossing no later than one o’clock. That was cutting it a little close, but everything should be fine.

  If they got here too soon, they might try to find out what was really going on. They might try to talk Cassie out of an impulsive act that she’d have to live with forever. At least from their perspective. No, it was better they arrive with just enough time to change clothes and get to the church.

  Cassie had told them she was planning a big lunch to welcome them, and that’s why she needed to know their time of arrival. One little lie wouldn’t matter so much to them, would it?

  “Let me check your foils, honey,” Clarissa said, rousing her out of her thoughts. The stylist leaned down and unwrapped one of the highlights, nodded and smiled. “You’re done. Let’s get you shampooed.”

  Over an hour later, Darla showed up at the salon with Sandy Brody, Toni, Christie and Amanda. “Wow, you look great,” Darla said, giving Cassie a critical scrutiny from the top of her head to the tips of her bright pink toenails.

  “Thanks.” She smiled as everyone echoed Darla’s compliment.

  “We’re here to take you to your bachelorette party,” Toni said, “although some of us won’t be drinking.”

  “That’s right. Toni is the designated driver,” Sandy said.

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “We want to!” Christie insisted. “We don’t get to party that often with just the girls.”

  “Besides, I need to get to know everyone better,” Amanda added. “What better way than over a glass of wine or a fancy drink with a paper umbrella?”

  “Where are we getting these fancy drinks with umbrellas?” Cassie asked, smiling at her friends’ enthusiasm.

  “Dewey’s is setting up the private room for us. I managed to get it before the guys called, so as far as I know, they’ll have to be in the bar out front later on.”

  “Or maybe at our house,” Toni said. “Wyatt is dying to show off his new ‘man cave’ in the basement.”

  Christie rolled her eyes. “Men and their toys.”

  “That’s what I always say!” Toni replied.

  The women laughed at that, making Cassie wonder how much they knew about their men that she didn’t know about hers. Of course, they’d known their husbands longer, even Amanda, who had been married to Leo almost three months.

  I wonder if someday our child will realize that he or she was born nine months after Amanda and Leo’s wedding? Probably not. Kids didn’t notice things like that, did they? Cassie hoped not. She wouldn’t have a clue how to explain. What did she know about child psychology?

  She was going to have to learn about babies and children the way she’d learned about microeconomics, she vowed. She was not going to fail at being a mother just because she was unprepared.

  “Do I need to change?” she asked the group.

  “No, you’re fine. We do have a few special accessories for you, though.” There was a mischievous look in Darla’s brown eyes.

  Toni pulled a bag from behind her back. “Here we go.” They placed a gaudy tiara with pink “diamonds” and a glittery pink veil on Cassie’s newly styled hair, then handed her an equally gaudy wand with metallic tassels on the ends.

  “Where did you get this stuff?”

  “At the fairy bridesmaid store, of course,” Amanda said with a grin as she pinned a big corsage on Cassie with the word bride spelled in glittery letters down a shiny pink ribbon.

  Cassie laughed at their foolishness. Wouldn’t it be great to relax and forget that the reason for this rushed wedding was to please her aunt and uncle?

  “Am I ready yet?” she asked.

  “Almost,” Toni said. She slipped a huge fake ring with another large, pink “diamond” on Cassie’s ring finger. “Now you’re ready.”

  Cassie held up the awful costume jewelry and smiled. Her friends were the best. And then her smile faded a little. She and Charlie hadn’t talked about rings. She didn’t know what size he wore and doubted that he had a clue what she liked or what would fit.

  Unless someone else had taken care of that little detail and not told her yet.

  “Thank you all so much,” she said, getting teary eyed when she thought of everything they’d done this past week.

  “Gee, the ring isn’t that great,” Sandy said, one hand on her hip.

  “No, not just for the ring and…all this stuff,” Cassie replied, brandishing her wand like a fairy princess. “For everything you’ve done to pull the wedding off. The planning, the food, the invitations. I could never have done this without you.”

  “We know,” Toni said, coming up and giving her a hug. “You can pay us back with baby showers.”

  “Oh! I will. An excellent idea.”

  “Let’s go!” Sandy said. “Paper umbrellas await!”

  Laughing, they piled out of Clarissa’s House of Style into Toni’s big SUV, waving at everyone they saw.

  What a sight they must make. People would think they’d already imbibed too much. She hoped most of the folks in town didn’t know she was pregnant, or they’d think she was being irresponsible.

  But she’d had enough worrying lately. Today, she was going to try to forget about her problems and just have a good time.

  “THEY’RE NOT HERE,” Cassie whispered into the phone to Charlie. “They were supposed to be here at one o’clock and they’re late.”

  “Maybe they ran into some traff
ic, or an accident that shut down a lane of the highway,” he said reasonably. “They’ll be here.”

  “We can’t have the wedding without them. If not for them, there wouldn’t need to be a wedding at all!”

  Okay, that kind of hurt, even if it was true. “Calm down, darlin’. Did you call them?”

  “Yes, and it went to voice mail immediately. They must be using the phone or have it turned off.”

  Charlie looked at his watch. It was a few minutes past two o’clock. Not time to panic yet, although Cassie was obviously all worked up. She reminded him of his horse Beau, who pranced in place like a show pony just waiting for the buzzer to sound.

  “They’re comin’ down 281 to 380, right?”

  “That’s what they said.” Cassie’s voice broke. “What if something happened to them?”

  “Then I’m sure we would have heard. You’re their emergency contact, right? Surely they’ve got your number written down or in their phone.”

  “But what if—”

  “I tell you what. I’ll have Chief Montoya call the State Highway Patrol and see if there have been any accidents on 281. If not, then we’ve got to believe they’re just runnin’ late. Maybe they’re drivin’ slow, enjoyin’ the scenery.”

  “Between here and Oklahoma City? There is no scenery!”

  “Darlin’, now don’t get yourself all worked up. You’re gonna have pink splotches all over your pretty face, and won’t that look just terrible in our weddin’ pictures?”

  He heard her take a deep breath. “You’re right. I’m overreacting. I’m just so worried. I shouldn’t have planned a wedding for the same day they arrived. What was I thinking?”

  “Er, probably that Monday was a real bad day for a wedding.”

  “You’re right again. My brain has turned to Jell-O.”

  “No, you’re just upset. Let me make a few calls. If you hear from them, phone me right away.”

  “I will. And Charlie?”

  “Yes, darlin’?”

  “Thank you for being so reasonable.”