Healing a Cowboy's Heart (Cowboy Dreamin' 2) (3 page)

“I
wouldn’t see how beef cattle could survive out here.
Or any
cattle for that matter.”

“Where’d
you say you were from?”

“Houston.”

“Well
then you should know the story of the longhorns. They are a hearty bunch. I
swear
,
they can live off nothin’ for a hell of a long
time. The
Youngs
have some great pasture land they
cultivated over the years to be able to run the cattle on.”

“Interesting.”

“If
you want to know ranch life, go stay out at their place.”

“I
think I will.”

“Stay
away from Jeff though. Talk to the other boys. They love the women, they do.”

“Great.
A bunch of bachelors, huh?”

“Yep,
except for the one now. But a pretty woman like you should be able to get
information out of them easy enough.”

“Thank
you for the compliment, George.”

George
shrugged and
grinned
a wide tobacco stuffed grin.
“Just sayin’.”

They
pulled into the parking lot in front of the surveyor’s office. George came
around to open her door as she grabbed her briefcase and purse from the floor.
“Thank you.”

“You’re
very welcome, ma’am. I’ll get things together and have the report for you by five
tomorrow
evenin
’ if that works for you.”

“Perfect.
I’m going to check out Thunder Ridge on the computer in my hotel room. I’ll
probably be stayin’ out there by tomorrow evening so if you could, call my cell
and leave me a message when it’s ready.”

“Sure.”
He tipped his hat. “Talk to you tomorrow then.”

After
a quick nod to George, she walked to her car and hit the key fob in her hand to
open the back. She slipped her things into the trunk,
then
slammed the lid closed.

“Now
for some dinner.”
The diner sat across the street from
the surveyor’s office. “Great. Maybe I can find out some information from the
waitress at the diner. They usually love to talk and if she’s relation to the
owner’s wife, she’d probably be more than willing to chat with me if I tell her
I’m thinking of stay out there.”

The
bell over the door tinkled as she pushed it open. The place seemed quiet.
Great.
Much easier to talk.

“Take
a seat anywhere.”

“Thank
you.”

She
found a booth near the back.

“What
can I get you to drink?”

“Um,
how about a Coke?”

“Sure.
The menu is by the napkins there. We have meatloaf on special today with mashed
potatoes, green beans and fresh bread.”

“Oh,
that sounds wonderful. I’ll take it.”

“I’ll
be right back with your drink.” The waitress walked away as Terri studied her.
Dark hair pulled back in a tight bun at the back of her head made her features
sharp. Long straight nose and high cheekbones spoke of a Native American
heritage somewhere down the lineage. The woman was stunning.

When
she returned a few moments later with her drink, Terri asked, “Might you be
Ann?”

“
Yes’m
. What can I do for you?”

“My
name is Terri Kennedy and I’d like to know about Thunder Ridge Guest Ranch. Can
you help me?”

“Certainly,
sweetie.
My sister and her husband own the
place. You won’t find a better time if you’re lookin’ for some real
cowboyin
’ and ranch life.”

“Great.”

“You
ain’t from around here, huh?”

“How
can you tell?”

“The
clothes for one.
You dress like a city girl, but you
have a Texas accent.”

“You
caught me. I’m from Houston. I’m here on a little business, but I wanted some
authentic cowboy exposure.”

“You
ain’t gettin’ it in Houston?”

“I
live in the city. There are a few ranches around, but I wanted to see what the
Hill Country cowboy ranches are like.”

“You’ll
get in out there for sure.”

“Sounds
like a great recommendation.”

The
bell dinged behind the counter. “Be right back. Your dinner is ready.”

Terri
sipped on her Coke while she waited for Ann to bring back her plate. There were
a few other patrons in the place, but they all looked like they belonged there.
Wow, did she feel out of place.

“Here
ya
go.”

“Looks
fabulous, Ann. Thank you.
Do you run this place
all by yourself?”

“For
the most part.
I have a couple of girls who help
during the rushes and the cook, but otherwise, it’s mostly me. I worked the
late shift today so I could be at my nephew’s weddin’ this afternoon.”

“Oh,
yes. George told me one of the boys out there got married today.”

“George?”

Shit. I need to keep my big mouth
shut if I plan to pass this off as a simple trip and not arouse suspicion.
“Yes.”

“Scott?
The land guy?”

“He
helped me out on the back road. I got stuck. He must have been out there doing
some surveying or something.”

“Seems
we’ve had quite of bit of city folk gettin’ stuck out on the back roads.
Runnin
’
out of gas and such.”
Ann’s eyes narrowed and her lips firmed into a
straight line.

“Oh?”
She needed to be careful or her cover would be blown before she got started.

“Yeah.
It’s how Joel met his bride. She ran out of gas back there near their ranch.”

“How
utterly romantic.
The cowboy rides away with the girl on
the back of his horse.”

“Hey,
Annie?
Can we get some more coffee?”

“Hold
your drawers on, Mick. I’ll be right there.” She glanced down at Terri with a
smile. “Enjoy your dinner. I’ll check on you in a bit. Holler if you need
anything.”

“Thank
you.”

“You’re
welcome.”

The
meatloaf melted on her tongue. She’d never tasted anything so good in her
entire life. Within minutes, she’s wolfed down her entire dinner and licked the
fork clean.

“You
must have been hungry,” Ann said, bringing her another Coke.

“Apparently.
You’d think I was starving or something, but you made the best meatloaf I’ve
ever tasted.”

“Thank
you. My cook does most of the meal prep, but I still do a few things myself.
The meatloaf is one of them.”

“It’s
fabulous.”

“I
love someone who appreciates good food.”

“My
stomach loves you.” She grabbed her wallet. “Here’s a twenty. Keep the change
for such fantastic service and food.” With her purse in hand, she scooted out
of the booth. “I’ve got a reservation to make for the ranch tomorrow night.”
She hugged Ann. “Thank you again. You’ve been great.”

“You’re
very welcome. I hope you come by again before you head for home.”

“Definitely!
I wouldn’t miss it.”

Terri
pushed open the door, catching the fragrance of lilies hanging in the baskets
near the front of the diner. A cool evening breeze had worked its way up,
bringing the temperature of the day to a tolerable level. Rain clouds
threatened and she knew enough about the weather to know it would storm soon.
She loved thunderstorms but getting caught in one in the middle of Texas Hill
Country wasn’t a great idea. Flash floods happened regularly although she
doubted they had them in town. It was the outlying areas that had to worry
more.

She
drove her car to the small motel, which wasn’t much, but it was clean and
homey. She liked the room with its wrought iron bed, homemade quilt and fantastic
lacy curtains. It reminded her of her grandmother.

As
she opened the door, the cooler air of the room hit her in the face. Now, the
temperature seemed almost cold. She quickly turned the thermostat down.
A bath would be nice.
Her suitcase lay
open on the bed with all of the clothing she’d brought for her two week stay in
Bandera. She might have to check out the western wear store in town to see if
she could find something not so citified. They had faded jeans these days. Maybe
she wouldn’t stick out so much. She glanced at her boots. She needed to go walk
in some mud with them or something. Scuff them up a bit so they didn’t look so
new.

Jeff’s boots looked well worn.

“What
the hell made me think of him? He’s difficult, cranky, egotistical, and he’s
going to be a pain in my ass. I just know it.”

She
grabbed her pajamas before she headed toward the bathroom for a nice long soak.
She’d even found some bubble bath in the bathroom when she’s checked in so she
could have bubbles, hot water…ah.
Relaxing.
She needed
it after her week at work, the long trip from Houston to San Antonio in her car
and being threatened with jail because of where she stood.

“Enough!
I don’t need to think of him. I’m sure I’ll be dealing with him soon enough when
I show up at his family’s place. My stay should be interesting.”

Chapter
Two

The
next morning Terri packed her suitcase, stuffed it into the trunk and headed
back out to where she’d been the day before with George. The country was
beautiful in the bright sunlight of the fall. Texas junipers dotted the
landscape along with a multitude of rocks, brush and flowers. They sure had a
different type of shrubbery than she had in Houston.

City
blocks with its skyscrapers reaching for the heavens from every angle, left
something to be desired most of the time.

She’d
grown up in a small suburb of Houston and enjoyed the camaraderie of knowing
her neighbors. Her high school had a small class and when she’d gone away to
college in Houston, it had been a culture shock. The classes were huge. Teachers
didn’t know the students names and the campus stretched for miles.

The
many years she’d spent studying for her architecture degree stretched on and
on. Oh, she’d made friends, but it wasn’t the same. She really wished some
days, she had a close friend to just talk with, call on the phone or have lunch
with.

She’d
been working freelance for herself since she left her first job out of college
two years ago. It was great working for
herself
,
especially when she had a multi-million dollar account hanging in the balance
like this one for the developers, but lately her existence seemed lonely, even
to her.

At
thirty years old, she really needed to quit jumping around so much. Her parents
wanted her to settle down and raise a family, but she hadn’t found the guy she
wanted to settle down with yet.

She’d
had a couple of boyfriends over the years too, but nothing serious. No one
could live up to what she had in mind for her forever love. The man she had in
mind had dark hair, pretty blue or gray eyes, a kick-ass smile and a killer
body. He needed to be the same age as her or a little older. He’d have a great
job. Some money saved. Maybe even a retirement plan.

A
giggle escaped her mouth. Didn’t she just have it all planned out even though
she had no prospects of a boyfriend, much less someone to settle down with.

The
gate to Thunder Ridge came into view. She hit the buzzer on the com when she
drove up to the stone pillar.

“Can
I help you?”

“Terri
Kennedy. I’m a guest.”

“Thank
you.”

The
wrought iron bars slowly slid open.
Interesting.

Several
longhorn cattle grazed in the distance. A large home could be seen behind the
trees as she drove up the long driveway. Several smaller cabins stood to the
right when she pulled up in front of a three foot wall that separated the drive
from the walkways. “What a cool set of buildings.” A huge barn stood off to the
back and she could see several cowboys walking around the corral. It looked
like they were about to take a group of guests out on a ride. She’d have to
take one while she stayed here. It’d been years since she’d been on a horse.

“Ma’am?”

A
gorgeous looking cowboy stopped at her door. Dark hair framed his face and he
had the most amazing blue eyes she’d ever seen. They reminded her of crystal
blue water like you see in the pictures of the Caribbean. She opened her door.
“Hello.”

“Can
I help you with your luggage?”

“I
only have one suitcase, but if you’d like to grab it out of the back, I’ll get
my computer case. Thank you.”