His Callahan Bride's Baby (Callahan Cowboys) (7 page)

She was independent, though. If she had half an idea of how Tighe felt, she’d send him away to chase his dreams with a basket of cookies and a cheery smile.

“As for throwing a wrench in our brother’s love life,” Dante said with a shrug, “there’s no need. There are plenty of wrenches to keep him busy without us getting involved, practically an entire toolbox full. No need to play dirty.” He drank some beer and thought his headache was starting to recede just a bit, thankfully. If he could get Tighe to stop spinning webs of his own glory, maybe he could concentrate on what a really good meal this was, how it had been a pleasant night for a drive, and how he was ever going to talk Ana into letting him kiss her, anywhere at all on her luscious body.

Hell, he’d even settle for her fingertips.

* * *

T
AYLOR
WAS
SO
JUMPY
she could hardly enjoy the evening, which she’d known wasn’t going to be a lot of fun. She wasn’t the adventurous kind of girl who enjoyed blind dates. But Tighe and Dante sitting over in the corner booth weren’t helping the situation at all. The waitress had pointed them out, mentioning the good-looking cowboys from Rancho Diablo, and how she’d love to put just one of them in a doggie bag and take him home.

Taylor hadn’t been amused in the slightest, although Benton had laughed appreciatively. Was it coincidence that Tighe and Dante were here? Surely it was. Falcon wouldn’t send his brothers to spy on her.

Besides, Falcon hadn’t known where her date was taking her tonight.

Ash had known.

It didn’t matter. Not comfortable with the whole blind date thing, Taylor was now just short of patience with her beau. Benton H. Withers III wasn’t a bad-looking man at all, if one liked big, handsome, sandy-haired guys. But she’d been romanced by a dark-haired rogue, and it made poor Benton pale by comparison.

Darn Falcon, anyway. Benton was a perfectly suitable dinner companion.

She was bored stiff.

“Dessert?” Benton asked. “It’s a very tempting offering they have here.”

He looked eager to try something on the dessert menu. Taylor smiled, trying to seem enthusiastic. “Go ahead. I’m full, but it would be fun to see what they have.” She tried not to glance over at Tighe and Dante again. The problem with Callahans was that they were bigger than life, so they tended to suck up all the attention wherever they were.

“Share a slice of mocha chip ice cream pie with me,” Benton said.

The man had flown from New York for this dinner, thanks to Fiona and her merry band of meddlers. “That sounds lovely,” Taylor said, even though she was working on a headache the size of Mount Olympus.

“You should come to New York for our next date,” Benton said, and Taylor nearly choked on the tea she’d been sipping. She looked at him with alarm.

There was never going to be another date with Benton of the pristine portfolio and dapper, streamlined looks.

And that’s when Taylor decided that if she had to live through three months of blind dating and empty dinners with perfectly nice men whom she could never kiss good-night without feeling completely guilty about Falcon, she was going to have to make a serious change in her life.

Darn Falcon and his sexy-hot, irresistible lovemaking, anyway.

Chapter Seven

“Dude, that was a delicious dinner,” Dante said, throwing himself onto a leather couch in the upstairs library, and looking, Falcon thought, like a man who’d thoroughly enjoyed setting fire to the two hundred bucks he’d given his brothers for dinner—with a little extra for bribery. Just to make certain to keep their focus strictly on Taylor, and not on any sweetly shaped bit of temptation that happened to bounce across their vision, which happened with Tighe and Dante. One had to factor in their lack of concentration and plan accordingly.

“Well?” Falcon asked in a growl. His brothers and sister laughed at him, making no attempt to conceal their mirth.

“When I told you where the big date was going to take place, I didn’t expect you to send emissaries,” Ash said. “You weenie.”

“I’d have looked like a real weenie if I’d shown up in Tempest,” Falcon pointed out. “A real schmuck weenie with a jealous streak.”

“Oh, that wouldn’t describe you at all,” Ash said, her expression innocent.

“That’s right,” he said, “so I sent Howdy and Doody.”

“That’s not nice,” Tighe said. “We kept an eye on Taylor, painful as it was.”

“Painful?” Nothing hurt so much as his heart at the moment. Falcon was about to die of jealousy, though he’d never admit that to his gloating sibs.

“Well, it was all the romancey-schmancey stuff,” Dante said. “The finger-licking and the cooing.”

“Cooing?” Falcon sat up straight, knives spearing his heart. His family had no sympathy, practically rolling with laughter. He didn’t care.

“You know.” Tighe waved a hand grandiosely. “The sweet nothings being whispered in the delicate ear. That sort of cooing.”

“Did he have delicate ears?” Falcon demanded.

Dante glared. “We didn’t look at date number two’s ears. Our assignment was to keep an eye on Taylor, which we did, without deviation. Dinner was fabulous, by the way. Gained ten pounds, I’m sure of it. And when we saw them splitting a dessert, we went for all the trimmings ourselves. I would drive to Tempest every day of the week just to eat that mocha chip—”

“They
shared
a dessert?” Falcon jumped off the sofa, paced to the windows. That wasn’t supposed to happen. He’d made love to Taylor, every inch of her, every delicious curve and delightfully sensitive spot. His heart was
breaking
.

“This isn’t a good idea,” Galen said, his tone worried. “Falcon, you can’t send spies to watch Taylor.”

Falcon blinked. “I can’t?”

“No,” Sloan said, “you have to catch her without hijinks.”

“Like you did with Kendall?” Falcon shot back.

“What he means,” Jace said, “is that it’s not cricket.”

“I don’t care about crickets. Ash gave me a challenge, I tended to it in the best way I knew how. At great expense, too.” But even Falcon knew he shouldn’t have done it. He sighed to himself, feeling fairly downcast. “I shouldn’t have let you tweak me,” he told his sister.

“I thought you’d go in person and show the poor guy up,” Ash said. “I didn’t think you’d turn into a shadow of your former self and cave to the competition.”

“Crap,” Falcon said, drooping a bit. “I gave Jillian my word I’d leave off proposing to Taylor until the Christmas season. She could date other people and if she found something better—which is Jillian’s goal—I’d accept that.”

“Dummy,” Ash said gently, “you weren’t supposed to let her get swept away by the something better. Instead, you sent Howdy and Doody. How does that make you look like Prince Charming?”

“I don’t know.” Falcon got up, honestly confused. “I quit. I give up.” He was too devastated to think straight anymore.

His family stared at him, their faces shocked.

“What did you say?” Galen asked.

“What?” Falcon said. “What do you mean, what did I say?”

“That horrible thing you said,” Jace said. “Something like
I quit. I give up.
” He shuddered.

Falcon was done talking about the whole matter. “Are we having a family meeting or not? Is anybody going to give an update on Xav? Or are we just going to sit around in a hen session?”

They continued to look at him in confusion. Falcon shook his head, and departed with his seriously unhappy heart.

* * *

“T
HAT
DIDN
’
T
GO
WELL
,
” Galen said. “Think you laid it on a bit thick, Howdy?”

“What?” Dante asked, his expression too innocent to be genuine.

“Thick? Every word was true.” Tighe clearly intended to back his twin up to the max.

“Did you really think telling Falcon where Taylor’s date was would be helpful?” Galen demanded of Ash.

“How did I know he’d muff up the mission?” She frowned at Galen. “Falcon should have gone himself.”

“Why?” Galen shook his head. “Look, I can’t bear him moping around looking like someone ripped his favorite blankie. He’s not going to be any good here if his heart is broken, and I don’t know about any of you, but I could hear it splitting clear across the room.”

Dante and Tighe looked slightly ashamed of themselves. Ash, as usual, did not. Galen sighed. Sometimes it was like herding cats to get his siblings to think logistically and without the liberal dose of turkey juice that seemed to clog all their thought processes.

They were, in a word, impetuous. Hotheaded.

And he hated to admit it, but...wild. Like coyotes in the wilderness.

He didn’t know how he was going to keep this ragtag bunch of misfits focused on the mission.

“By the way, Dante and I are turning in our notice,” Tighe said. “We’re hitting the rodeo circuit. This is our official notice.”

Galen’s ears rang and he felt his forehead pinch together in a frown. The whole room was silent, so still he could hear noises outside from the storm kicking up. Sure September weather for this part of New Mexico.

But he didn’t have to say a word.

Ash jumped up off the sofa and stalked out of the room, showing her distaste for her brothers’ announcement.

Seemed like a good decision. Jace followed Ash, and with a last annoyed glance toward his brothers, Galen departed the meeting, too.

They had nothing more to talk about.

* * *

A
SH
CAUGHT
UP
TO
F
ALCON
as he saddled his horse. “Wait, Falcon.”

He turned, not in the mood for conversation. “A storm’s coming in. I’ve got things to do.”

She gazed up at him. “I am so sorry. About everything.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”

His sister put a hand on his arm. “Falcon, I hate seeing you miserable.”

He smiled, but even he felt the unintended sardonic angle to it. “I’m not miserable.” He was something else he couldn’t define, and the only description that was coming to mind was
in love
.

If this was love, it truly did stink.

“You just need to talk to Taylor,” Ash said.

“Funny, but I think I’ve had all of your advice I need, sis.” He mounted his horse, the one thing on this planet he trusted at the moment, and settled his hat on his head. “I’m going to ride Xav’s shift in the canyons. Keep him in the old bunkhouse closest to the house until he’s healed. Under no circumstances is he to go back to his post until he’s completely well, and even then, not until the shooter is found. If he argues, tell him that we don’t have enough insurance to cover him getting killed.”

Ash’s face paled in the light from the barn’s overhead lamps. “You can’t go out there, Falcon.”

“Who can? You?” Falcon shook his head. “You shouldn’t have been out there in the first place. You let your emotions get the best of you. I don’t intend to make that mistake.”

He urged his horse out of the barn into the darkness, and once clear of the fence surrounding the house, took off at a gallop he hoped would chase some of the pain away.
If
you could ride off pain, cleanse your soul of it by putting miles between you and your devils.

But Falcon knew he couldn’t. The devils were lodged firmly inside his heart.

* * *

T
AYLOR
DECIDED
SHE
WASN
’
T
going to wait any longer for Falcon to make an appearance. It was the beginning of December, and she hadn’t seen Mr. Marry-Me since September.

“Big chicken,” she muttered.

She collared Ash and Fiona stringing white Christmas lights along the corrals, creating the traditional fairyland look of Rancho Diablo.

“Hi, Taylor,” Ash said. “Coming to join the party?”

“Grab a ball of lights,” Fiona said. “We’re happy to conscript anybody and everybody into the Christmas spirit. How’s your mother, by the way?”

Taylor shook her head. “I’m going to have to pass on the decorating, though I’d love to help another time. And Mom’s fine, thank you. She’s talking about taking a trip, which I never thought I’d hear her say. But she’s feeling so much better she wants out of the house.” She took a deep breath. “I’m looking for Falcon. Do you know where I might find him?”

Ash gave her a strange look. “We don’t see him much. Maybe once a month, if that.”

“Once a month?”

“He’s become a bit elusive,” Fiona said. “He took over Xav’s post after Xav got shot. Won’t give it up. Xav, of course, can’t be housebound—” she glanced at Ash, who blushed “—so he’s gone to work at Dark Diablo in Tempest.”

Taylor blinked. “So Falcon’s in the canyons?”

Ash nodded. “Haven’t you heard from him?”

“Not a word.” And she was going to yell his ears off when she finally did see him. Mr. December-I-Do, indeed.

“Oh, dear,” Fiona said. “We figured if he was keeping in touch with anyone, it was you.”

“Why me?” Falcon was the biggest snake that had ever slithered. Boy, did she have a shocker for him.

“Well, because of the proposal,” Fiona said, and Ash turned back to the lights she’d been stringing, but not before Taylor caught the expression on her face.

Guilt.

“Is there something you’d like to add to that, Ash?” Taylor asked.

“Um...” Ash fiddled with some lights for a moment, then turned to face her. “I think if you want to talk to my brother, you’re going to have to go find him.”

“She can’t go into the canyons by herself,” Fiona said. “Galen will freak out. There’ll be all kinds of fussing and cussing if Galen finds out either of you have gone there again, after what happened to Xav, and especially now that we’re shorthanded.”

“Shorthanded?” Taylor waited to hear the rest.

“Tighe and Dante deserted us,” Ash said. “My brothers are traitors, not to put too fine a point on it.”

“Can I borrow a vehicle?” Taylor asked. “I wouldn’t ask, but mine won’t make it out there.”

“Certainly.” Fiona bustled off to get the keys, and Ash looked at her, her expression worried.

“Taylor, I hope you know that I want you and Falcon to work things out between you,” Ash said.

“You mean since you told your brother about my date in September, and he sent Tighe and Dante to spy on me?” Taylor crossed her arms. “I haven’t seen Falcon since. You mean that kind of work things out?”

“I didn’t think Falcon would take it that way. He’s always been such a knucklehead, but that was more knuckly than usual.”

Taylor shook her head. “I’m sure you meant well.”

“I did!”

Ash’s face was so earnest Taylor felt herself relent just a bit.

“Here are the keys,” Fiona said brightly. “Head due north. I hope you can find him. He’s elusive, I’ll grant him that. Even Jace can’t find him at times, and he can track anything.”

“Not as well as me,” Ash said. “I could find him, if my stupid brothers would let me go look. No one’s as good at sniffing people out.”

Taylor took the keys. “Thanks, Fiona.”

“There’s a small-caliber pistol I put on the passenger seat, just in case. The snow’s coming, so don’t be long, please,” Fiona said, concerned. “I’m pretty sure I’ll get my ears yelled off by Galen for letting you go, so if you could be back before nighttime—”

“I will.”

“Good luck,” Ash said. “I’d come with you for backup but I’m on a tight leash thanks to overprotective, bossy brothers. And we’re shorthanded around here, like we said.”

“It’s a fifteen-minute drive. I’ll be fine. Thanks.”

Taylor got in the military jeep, noting the basket of cookies and thermos of hot cocoa Fiona had tucked into the passenger side. Hidden underneath a warm, fuzzy blanket was the pistol. Everything necessary in case of an emergency.

Now she just needed to find Falcon. That was the real emergency.