The Intriguing Billionaire Cowboy [Wives for the Western Billionaires 8] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) (15 page)

As she’d expected, her mother was smoking and drinking coffee. “You know those cigarettes will kill you some day.”

“I can’t break the habit. I guess I don’t want to.” Pearl looked at the suitcase and Sylvia. “You’re leaving.”

“For parts unknown. Tell everyone good-bye for me. You’ll have this place all to yourself. It’s not a bad place to land when you’re down and out.”

She heard Sheriff Grady coming down the drive. “See you.”

The sheriff put her case in the truck and they were soon on their way.

“You want to tell me what made you decide to rush off?”

“I don’t fit here, and if I stay I’ll hurt Sam more. Camille is back.”

“You heard.”

“I met her yesterday while we were out riding. She’s beautiful.”

“Yah, she sure is. She always was a pretty girl, but Sam never loved her like he does you.”

Sylvia turned her head and stared at Grady. “How can you know that? Are you the town’s love guru?”

Grady laughed long and hard. “I love that. My wife will split her sides laughing when I tell her. But I’ve seen Sam with Camille and you. He looks at you differently.”

“I’m not good for Sam. I don’t cook or clean, and I know nothing about children. He needs a wife who can be a real partner. What kind of spouse would I be for him? I’d want to keep working with you and catching bad guys.”

“I’d bet Sam can compromise. Can you?” They’d gotten to the airport. He started to get out.

“Don’t. I can carry my suitcase, and you won’t have to lie when you say you don’t know where I went.”

“I’m keeping the job open. I’m betting on you.” He waved and drove off.

Sylvia took her case and went inside to get a ticket to New York. She’d get lost in the big city for a few days and set up the appointment in Washington for her surgery. She carried her case in her good hand. Her wrist wasn’t quite as strong as it had been. But when she had fully recovered she’d see her old boss.

It was a plan. A guide to go by. Because otherwise, a feeling of being lost and scared would rush over her. She’d never had those feelings before.

* * * *

Sam waited until he got home and showered then he called Sylvia. Her mother answered.

“I thought she told you,” Mrs. Piercy said.

Fear closed his throat for a second. He swallowed. “Told me what?”

“She left this morning. I think she wanted to get her face fixed, but she didn’t say what she going to do or where she was going. Oh, you might ask the sheriff. He drove her to the airport.”

Sam slammed down the phone. He hadn’t paid attention to his uneasiness today. She’d acted strange at times yesterday, but he thought she’d say good-bye before she left. He paced around his house, which had felt so empty since he’d taken her back to the cabin last night. Looking back, he knew she’d made the decision this weekend. He just hadn’t wanted to admit it.

He punched in Sheriff Grady’s number. The sheriff answered.

“I wondered when you’d call.”

“Why did you take her? Why not call me and let me handle it?”

“Because she’d still have gone another day. She didn’t want to hurt you any more than you’re hurting now. I tried to convince her to stay.”

“Did she mention Camille being back?”

“Briefly. She thinks Camille would make you a better wife.”

“Do you?”

“Nope. I like Sylvia. She has real guts and a good head on her. But she won’t be the same type of wife that Rand, Dirk, and Graham have.” He chuckled. “She says she doesn’t cook, clean, or know about kids. I suspect she can learn. But if you go after her, you’d better know she’ll want to keep her job with me. Hell, she may become the sheriff when I retire.”

“How can I find her?”

“A smart, young cowboy like you ought to be able to figure that out. Talk to you later.”

Sam glanced at his phone.
He hung up on me
. Sam sat in the lounge chair where he’d sat on Saturday night. He stared at the spot on the rug where they’d made love. His anxiousness turned to anger.

Sylvia thought Camille was best for him. Most of his family would agree.
I’ll ask her out and see how it goes. Maybe I’m wrong about Sylvia and it was lust, as I first thought, and not love. This is a chance for me to find out.
He tapped his foot, and clenched his jaw, and tried not to think about the other night.

To get his thoughts off of Sylvia, he called his mother.

“Mom, I can’t remember Camille’s number. Do you have it?”

“Sure, she’s at her folks.” His mom recited the number. “I’m surprised you forgot it after calling so much in the past. Are you and Sylvia going to visit her?”

“Sylvia left this morning. I decided maybe you were right and I need to look for someone who has lived here and likes it.”

“Did Sylvia say she didn’t like it here?”

“She left without a word. You and the rest of the family can rest easy. I haven’t been carried off by the hard-hearted city woman.”

“Don’t be bitter, Sam. We care about you, but we also want you to be happy. If Sylvia makes you happy, go after her.”

“I’ll check out Camille first. We used to get along well.”

“Don’t hurt Camille because you’re hurting.”

“Mom, get off my case.” He hung up and instantly wanted to call her back and apologize, but he couldn’t talk with her, not yet. He took a deep breath and called Camille. Thankfully, she answered.

“I’ve just got in and cleaned up. Are you interested in a late dinner?”

“I’d love it.”

“I’ll be right over.” Camille didn’t ask questions. He liked that. He locked the doors and went to his truck. He’d take her for dinner at Millie’s, just like old times.

Camille came outside as soon as he stopped his truck. She jumped in and smiled. “This feels so right.” She leaned forward and kissed his mouth. “Thanks for the invite.”

He backed out of the drive and headed to town. “I thought we’d go to Millie’s place.”

“It brings back good memories.”

“You’ve been gone a long time. Tell me what you’ve been doing.” From past experience he knew once Camille started talking, he could sit back and half listen.

“Finally, I worked in Atlanta for a PR firm.”

Sam parked the truck and came around to her side. He held her hand as she got down. She put her arm through his, and they entered Millie’s.

The surprise on Millie’s face made him laugh. “My goodness, seeing you two together takes me back many years.”

Camille hugged Millie. “I’m glad to be back, and this time I’m staying for good.”

“I’m sure your parents are overjoyed about that.” Millie grabbed two menus and walked them across the room to their old booth.

“You are great, Millie. You remembered.” Camille hugged her again.

“Will you have your same old order, hamburgers, fries, and chocolate milkshakes?”

“I can’t let myself eat all those calories much anymore, but just this once I’m going to say yes.” She slid into the booth and moved over for Sam.

“Millie, I’ll have the same.” He slid in across from Camille.

“I thought this was a date?” She eyed him.

“It is, sort of. We need to move slowly. Those old feelings might not be gone for good.”

“They aren’t for me. I’ve thought about you, and when I saw you the other day I knew I wanted you. I made a serious mistake when I left, and I want to rectify it. Did you and what’s her name break up?”

“Her name is Sylvia, and yes, she left town earlier today.”

“So I’m the rebound girl?”

“If you want to take it that way. Honestly I’m confused, and I don’t know who or what I want. This was a bad idea. I don’t want to hurt you. After we eat, I’ll take you home, and I won’t call again until I get my head on straight.”

He had to give Camille credit. She kept up a friendly conversation and acted as though they were on a regular date. Had she just ignored what he said, or was she confident he’d come back to her?

Sam tried not to show his relief when he dropped her off at her parents’ house. “See you. I hope you find what you’re looking for here in Frontier City.”

She put her head in the open window and stared at him. “Oh, I think I have.” Then she turned, waved, and went inside.

He decided to stop by the barn and saddle his stallion. Some of his best thinking was done on horseback. The moon lit the trail as he meandered around the land he loved. Sylvia had been right. He could never leave here and be happy. So he tried to understand how she felt about the city.

The mountains towered over him as he rode closer. He stopped his horse and sat staring into the distance. Sylvia might be right about there being no way they could compromise, but he had to try and convince her one more time.

Her mother arriving had interrupted their getting together. He suspected the relationship between Sylvia and her mother had much to do with Sylvia’s fear of commitment. But if Sylvia believed she was like her mother, she was wrong. He was going to tell her so in person.

Urging his horse forward, Sam headed to the barn. First, he had to find out where she had gone. Then he’d go to her.

Tomorrow, he’d apologize to his mom and talk with her about Sylvia. Maybe she had an idea of where to start looking.

“Good morning, Sam.” His mother opened the kitchen door and welcomed him in. “I’m cooking breakfast. Will you join me?”

“Thanks, yes, I’d like that. Mom, I’m sorry about yesterday. I should never have spoken so disrespectfully to you.”

“We were both wrong. I’ve been interfering in your life more than I did with your other brothers.”

“Why? Don’t you trust me to decide what’s best for me?”

“You’re my youngest son, and the one who is the most like your dad. All of you have something of his traits and looks, but you remind me of how he was so involved in the ranch and so very dependable. I could count on him supporting me every step of the way.

“When you fell for Sylvia, who is so different from me, I feared you were headed for heartbreak. Consequently, I tried to steer you away from her. But I was wrong. Your dad would have said to quit meddling. We all have to decide for ourselves.”

“But if she comes back with me, will you treat her as kindly as you do my sisters-in-law?”

“Absolutely. I promise. I gather you are going to look for her.”

“I thought you might have an idea of where I might start the search.”

His mom put the food on the table and poured their coffee. “We’ll eat, and then I suggest you look on the computer. I remember her using it several times while she was here.”

“That’s a great idea, Mom.” He took a bite of eggs and potatoes. “These are good. This feels right, just like old times. You know, even if I marry, I’ll still stop by for breakfast on occasion. You’ll continue to be a big part of my life.”

She patted his hand. “I know. All I want is for you to be as happy as your dad and I were.”

“You still miss him.”

“Until the day I close my eyes for good, and hopefully he’ll be there waiting for me.” She smiled. “Eat. You have some hunting to do.”

Sam helped his mom clean the table. Then he went in the den and started the computer. He used his computer in his work with the ranch, so he knew how to search.

It didn’t take long to find where Sylvia had looked for surgeons to fix the scar on her face. The best one worked in DC, her old stomping ground. He wrote down the doctor’s number and address. Then he called the airport and made reservations to leave later in the day and fly to Washington. Hope bubbled up inside him.

He’d explain his plans to his mother and go home to pack. But then he thought of Camille. Before he got cold feet, he dialed her number.

“Hello, this is Camille.”

“Hi, this is Sam. I should come over and see you in person, but I’m getting ready to leave town.”

“You’re going after her,” Camille stated.

“Yes, I am. I’m sorry. It wasn’t right of me to ask you out.”

“I sort of expected this call. I guess it wasn’t fair of me to flirt with you when I knew in my heart how you were feeling. Don’t worry about me. I want a man who wants me wholeheartedly, and I have confidence I’ll find him. What we had wasn’t strong enough, or I’d have never left town.”

“Thanks for understanding.” Sam put the phone down and gave a sigh of relief.

Then he picked up the phone again. He’d call Graham and ask for a ride to the airport. He’d get the least advice from him.

* * * *

Sylvia called the surgeon as soon as she arrived in New York. His receptionist made an appointment for her the day after tomorrow in the afternoon.

“If the doctor agrees to do the surgery, he may be able to schedule you for two days later. We’ve had a cancellation. Would that be all right with you, or is it too soon?”

“It would be wonderful.”

“In the interim, I’ll put your name in that slot.”