The Lionhearted Cowboy Returns (12 page)

“What if it’s just because she’s lonely, and I’m convenient?”

“This isn’t about your leg, is it? Oh, I know what it is.” He snapped his fingers. “She cringed during sex because of your leg.”

Jeff could still feel Lacey’s hands on his injured leg, touching him where he was the most vulnerable. Her trust and caring had just enhanced their lovemaking.

“No, I just don’t know if I’m the man she needs in her life.” And there were the kids. Not that he didn’t love them already, but could he be the dad they needed?

“You think because you’re missing part of your leg you can’t have a life? Can’t have the woman you love? A family?” Brandon didn’t wait for an answer. “So I should tell my son, Zach, that because he’s diabetic he can’t go after what he wants?”

“Of course not,” Jeff argued, hating that his cousin knew him so well.

“Good, because I’m never going to let Zach give up on anything. Unlike you, who won’t fight for what you want. Come on, man, you have a second chance, don’t use being an amputee as an excuse.” Brandon stood and started toward the cabin. “We better get to work and herd some cattle before the drive. Unless you think you can’t handle it.”

Jeff wasn’t looking forward to sitting on a horse most of the day, but he needed to build up his leg strength, and get used to long hours in the saddle.

He grabbed two more bottles of water from the cooler and they headed to the horses. “Okay, what if I go after Lacey and it doesn’t work out?”

Brandon climbed on his gelding. “There are no guarantees with love, but you can’t win, Jeff, if you don’t try. I can’t tell you how many times, even when Nora pushed me away, that I kept going back. I
couldn’t give up. I loved her too much. For heaven’s sake, Jeff, Lacey came here last night. That means she’s decided she wants to give a relationship with you a try.”

Jeff’s spirits soared with hope, but just as quickly sank. He needed to talk to Lacey. He swung his leg over his horse. “I know I’ll probably be sorry I asked, but do you have any suggestions on how to win her back?”

Lacey was happy to be home. It had been a long, miserable week, and she’d missed Jeff more than she wanted to admit. Even though Trevor’s parents had showed them a good time, the kids had missed home, too. They wouldn’t stop talking about Jeff. Even the Guthries figured out that he had become a big part of their lives. They’d always liked Trevor’s friend, and in so many words gave Lacey their blessing to move on with her life. Would they feel that way if they knew the truth about what had happened ten years ago between them?

After a week, Lacey knew she had to return to Texas. Even though Jeff didn’t want her, she had a ranch and a business to run. She had to face her partner sometime.

That was the problem. Over and over she’d relived her night with Jeff. And now, somehow, she had to put that out of her mind and find a way to be able to work with him.

Since she would have to spend three days on the cattle drive with the man, she’d better figure it out fast. Luckily, they wouldn’t be alone much, and she wasn’t riding with the herd. She only had to get to the designated spots and serve meals for the twenty riders. She would have help, Nora and Jeff’s sister, Kelly.

At 5:00 a.m. that morning, she and a pair of excited kids headed for the Circle B Ranch where the first Annual Randell Ranch Cattle Drive was set to begin.

She walked into the main dining hall, already crowded with eager guests. She and the kids got in line and filled their plates and went to sit with Nora and Zach.

“Good, you’re here,” Nora said. “Jeff wants to have a quick meeting before they take off.”

She didn’t want to talk to Jeff. “But we’re just driving out to the first stop on the trail.”

Nora frowned, glanced at the kids talking at the table, and then took Lacey’s hand. “Come with me.”

Lacey reluctantly got up and followed her new friend to the empty side of the room. “Brandon told me what happened between you and Jeff before you left town.” She raised a hand. “I don’t need details. I do know it’s easy to do crazy things when it comes to the Randell men.” There was concern on Nora’s face. “Maybe if you and Jeff talk—”

“No,” Lacey interrupted. “I’ve made a fool of myself over him more than once and Jeff’s made it clear how he feels.”

“Okay, but so you know, he regrets how things turned out.”

Her heart raced. “So do I. I never should have gone to the cabin. I won’t make that mistake again.”

“You still want to go on this trip, don’t you?”

“Of course, the kids are looking forward to it. And I told Hank I would go. It’s too late to replace me.” She blinked back tears. “And I’m not going to dump this all on you with you being pregnant.”

“Lacey.”

She froze on hearing Jeff call her name. She turned as he walked toward her. He was dressed in his standard Western shirt and jeans covered in a pair of black leather chaps. His hat was pulled down on his forehead, his expression serious. She could also see the other women in the room staring at him.

He managed a half smile. “I’m glad you’re back. Did you have a good visit with the Guthries?”

Suddenly the room emptied. “Yes. They send their regards.”

His eyes connected with hers. “Lacey, I know I’m the reason you left.”

She jerked her gaze away. “Don’t flatter yourself, Gentry. I had this trip planned for a while,” she fibbed. Seeing his hurt, she nearly apologized but held her nerve. “Nora said you needed to talk to me about the cattle drive.”

He pulled off a sheet of paper from the clipboard. “Here’s the schedule and a map. I could vary it, but I’m hoping not by much.” His dark gaze met hers again. “I’m sorry, Lacey. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you.”

She took a shaky breath. “I hurt myself, Jeff. But at least I was honest about my feelings. Excuse me, I need to help get Colin ready to leave.”

She started off, but Jeff reached for her arm, forcing her to look at him. “If I owe you anything, Lacey, it’s honesty, and I hope you’re ready for it. Because when we return from this trip, we’re going to deal with us.”

Lacey watched him walk away. Honesty. She doubted that Jeff Gentry knew the meaning of the
word—not now or ten years ago when he’d walked away from her. He’d never stayed to see if she was okay, or if she could possibly be pregnant with his child.

S
O
far the first day of the cattle drive hadn’t gone too badly.

Jeff rubbed his thigh as he sat in the saddle. He turned to watch the wranglers on horseback as they rode drag behind the herd. They’d made good time through the morning. The only mishap had been when one man went after a runaway calf. He got his horse tangled up in some mesquite. Two of the experienced ranch hands took control and got him out. Luckily, the horse only had minor scratches.

Cousin Lindsey had been waiting for them when they arrived at the chuck wagon for lunch. After cleaning the horse’s wounds, she then deemed the gelding well enough to go on.

If anything could deter him from becoming a cattleman, today had been the day. Yet he did want the ranch life, and the more time he’d spent with his Uncle Chance and working with Lacey, he knew raising quarter horses was what he wanted to do. He still had a lot to learn about the breeding business. Luckily, he had a lot to draw on among the Randells,
including his dad and uncle. They all ran a successful company.

That was what he wanted to make of G&G Quarter Horses—a success. Eventually he wanted to expand, even build his own place. He’d already been checking out a way to grow the business to make it as much Gentry as Guthrie.

Right now everything at the ranch had Trevor’s stamp on it. Not that he wanted to take anything away from his friend, but he needed to make his own mark. That could happen soon, but he still had to talk to Jay before he could go to Lacey with the idea of leasing some pasture land, and even selling some of the ranch’s spring water.

His thoughts turned to the woman who had been on his mind and in his heart forever. What if he’d already blown it, and she never forgave him? He shut his eyes, unable to stop thinking about the night she’d showed up at the cabin. Even before he’d lost his leg, he’d never been one to let anyone get too close, except Trevor and Lacey. It scared the hell out of him.

He cursed himself for his own insecurities about the past and for letting her leave that morning. If he got another chance, he definitely wouldn’t do it again.

“Hey, there’s no sleeping on the job,” Brandon called as he rode up next to him.

They fell into an easy pace alongside the herd. “I’m the boss here,” Jeff joked.

“If you say so.” Smiling, his cousin glanced around. “How are you doing?”

“Not too bad, outside of the heat, and the fact I’ll probably be sore later, but the leg doesn’t seem to be giving me any trouble.” He rubbed his thigh again. “I
hate saying this, but you were right about putting in time on horseback the past two weeks.”

Brandon nodded. “Good. Have you had a chance to talk to Lacey?”

He shook his head. “This isn’t the best place for a serious talk.”

“You can be subtle, but let her know you’re not letting her get away.”

“When did you turn into such a matchmaker?”

Brandon shrugged. “Nora, I guess. I never knew I could be this happy. So don’t give up on Lacey.”

Jeff knew how hard his cousin had worked to win Nora. She might have loved the sheriff’s deputy who’d rescued her more than once, but her abusive ex-husband had made her extremely leery of trusting again.

“Catch you later,” his cousin said as he kicked his horse’s side and shot off, then met up with nine-year-old Zach. Watching the two together, Jeff could see they were truly father and son.

He drew a ragged breath. Could he be that for Lacey’s kids? They seemed to like him enough, but how would they feel about him loving their mother? Taking their dad’s place in the house? Whoa. Maybe he should get another opinion. He caught sight of Lacey’s son on his horse riding with Brandon and Zach.

Jeff pressed his heels into his horse and pulled up beside the boy. “Hey, Colin, you want to ride up ahead with me? We’ll scout out the trail.”

“Cool,” the boy said.

Yeah, Jeff thought it was cool, too. Would the boy feel that way after he pled his case?

“Brandon, could you and Zach watch things for a while?” Jeff asked.

“Sure.” His cousin looked down at his son. “We can handle it, can’t we, Zach?”

The boy nodded. “Sure.” Brandon waved them off.

The pair picked up the pace and headed down the old service road, no longer used except to check on the cattle.

Jeff glanced overhead at the scattered clouds. “I hope it’s not going to rain. We’ll have a lot of wet wranglers.”

Colin didn’t laugh.

“Is there something wrong, son?”

The boy shrugged. “Mom’s been sad. And I don’t know why she suddenly made us go to Papa and Grandma Guthrie’s.”

Jeff shifted in the saddle. “You ever think maybe your mom was tired and needed some time away?” He’d bet he was the cause of Lacey’s misery. He hated that, but it also gave him a spark of hope.

“Yeah, but she’s crying again like she did after Dad died.”

Okay, Jeff didn’t like that.

The boy looked at him. “Maybe if you talk to her she’ll feel better.”

Jeff nodded, praying he got the chance. “I think I’m the reason she’s sad. I hurt her feelings and said some things I didn’t mean.”

“Can’t you say you’re sorry?”

“She doesn’t exactly want to talk to me right now. I was hoping you could help me.”

The boy turned his serious blue-eyed gaze toward him, reminding him so much of Trevor. “How?”

“I care about her, Colin, a lot.” He released a long
breath. “And I want to be more than just friends with your mom,” he rushed out.

The boy didn’t look at him. “You mean get married like Zach’s mom and Brandon?”

Jeff tried to relax with the gentle sway of the horse. “Yeah, but I want you to know, I’m not taking your father’s place. Trevor Guthrie was the best man I ever knew and I was honored to be his friend.” Jeff smiled through his sadness. “He raised two fine children, too. I’d be lucky if you’d let me share your life.”

The boy looked him in the eye. “You mean you love us?”

Jeff swallowed as the realization hit him. “Yeah, I do.”

Colin looked down at his reins. “Before Dad died, he told me some things.” Tears filled the boy’s eyes. “He asked me never to forget him, and to take care of Mom and Emily.”

Jeff nodded. That was a big job for a little boy.

“Dad said that if I needed help with anything, I could ask you.”

“I wish I could have been around more,” Jeff told him.

Colin shook his head. “Dad said your life was the army. Someone had to keep our country safe, and you were the best man for the job.”

Jeff’s throat tightened so he could barely speak. “I tried, but I’ve had regrets, too. I didn’t make it home in time to see your dad before he died. I only hope you let me hang around to be there for you and your sister.”

The boy thought for a while. “You think we could go back to Three Rock Ridge sometime?”

Jeff’s chest swelled. “Sure. Anytime.”

Colin finally smiled. “So how are you going to get Mom not to be mad at you, so you can marry her?”

Jeff couldn’t help but grin. “That’s exactly what I need your help with.”

It was just before dusk by the time Lacey and Nora finished feeding forty hungry trail hands. They were tired, but at least they didn’t have to worry about cleanup. Hank had taken care of that by hiring some college kids.

Of course, they still needed be up at 5:00 a.m. She and Nora would spend the night in the trailer so they could get ready for an early breakfast. She was enjoying every minute of the trip.

Nora stretched her arms over her head. “I’ll miss having Brandon next to me, but not enough to sleep on the hard ground.”

Lacey smiled. “Yeah, a single bunk with a mattress is sounding pretty good to me right now.”

She glanced over the camp as night began to fall. The sound of the calves mooing and laughter around the campfire was peaceful. She caught a glimpse of Colin with Zach, and they even had Emily with them.

Off in the distance, she caught sight of three riders on horseback coming into camp. She wasn’t surprised to see Hank, Chance and Wyatt. They were greeted with enthusiasm by everyone. After a few minutes, Hank wandered over to them and hugged them both.

“How’s it going?”

Lacey shrugged. “No one’s complained about the food.”

“All I’ve heard was praise about your stew and home
made rolls. They enjoyed Nora’s pies, too.” He winked at his grandson’s wife before she wandered away.

“Well, we’re sticking with the basics, hoping to please everyone. Tomorrow night, we’ll grill hamburgers and I’ll make some baked beans.”

Hank studied her a moment. “I was hoping you’d find some time to enjoy this trip. That’s the reason I hired the helpers.”

“I’m not overworked, Hank,” she protested, knowing she’d stayed busy to avoid Jeff. “You’re paying me to do a job.”

“You still can have some fun,” he insisted as the sound of a strumming guitar drew their attention. “Come on,” Hank coaxed. “Let’s go enjoy the music.” He took Lacey’s hand and pulled her over to the fire ring where she sat down on a log beside her kids.

She was caught off guard to see Jeff was the one who was playing, and then she recalled years back when both Trevor and Jeff had attempted to learn the instrument.

It wasn’t long before the group threw out song requests. The first was “Home on the Range,” and another, “Yellow Rose of Texas.” Jeff really got the crowd going as he then went into a Garth Brooks favorite and everyone broke into applause and cheers.

Once the group quieted, Jeff began to strum again, quietly. The few women in the group sighed when Jeff began singing a George Strait ballad, “The Man in Love with You.”

Lacey glanced away. She didn’t need this. She didn’t want this from him. Yet she quickly got lost in the words.

Jeff had never been the kind of man to draw attention, but he had everyone’s now, including hers. Finally
he looked at her, and his eyes told her his feelings as he sang the last note.

Silence fell over the group as their gaze met momentarily. Her heart drummed against her chest, wondering if everyone could hear. Then the spell was broken as someone called out another song title.

Jeff began to play and she did the cowardly thing: got up and walked away.

“I never said it would be easy,” Brandon conceded after the group broke up.

Jeff shook his head. “It was a crazy idea.”

“Men do crazy things for the women they love.”

Jeff swung around to see his dad standing behind him.

“The important thing is, son, keep trying.” The older man raised an eyebrow. “I can’t tell you how many times I could have cut my losses and walked away from your mom, but love kept me coming back.”

“Yeah, but this is different from you and Mom.”

“That might be, but I’d say you have an advantage over me. It’s said people who’ve been in happy marriages are more willing to marry again.” Wyatt shrugged. “Of course, if you feel you couldn’t be a good husband to Lacey or a father to her kids…”

Jeff really didn’t know, and yet… “I want the chance to try.”

“All I can say is don’t let it slip away,” his father advised.

The next morning, Lacey felt disappointed when Jeff didn’t come through the chow line at breakfast. Instead he sent Brandon because he was too busy.

“Well, I can be busy, too,” she murmured while loading up the trailer to move to the next location. Already bored, Emily had left earlier when her best friend Megan and her mother had picked her up for a sleepover.

Lacey now had time to go home for a quick shower and a change of clothes before she was due at the next location for lunch. She climbed into the truck and watched as the last of the riders and cattle moved on down the trail. All but one lone cowboy.

Jeff had hung back. With everyone out of camp, he checked to see nothing was left behind, then kicked dirt over the cool campfire before he climbed on his mount. Surprisingly, he did it with ease as he swung his leg over the back of the horse. He sat straight in the saddle and took control of the animal, in spite of the fact he hadn’t ridden for years and was missing part of a leg. Lacey’s stomach tightened as she remembered their night together. They were good and bad memories at the same time.

“He’s one of those men who are hard to get off your mind.”

Lacey turned to see that Nora had climbed into the cab, catching her in the act of staring. “I’ve always cared about Jeff, he was my husband’s best friend.” She rushed on. “We were all friends back then.”

Nora raised a hand. “That’s good. Friends, then lovers.”

Lacey was a little shocked at her blunt assessment. “That’s the problem, we stepped over that line twice, and I think the baggage we both have ruined everything.”

Nora frowned. “You can’t tell me you two didn’t sizzle.”

They had. Even the first time when they’d been practically teenagers. Her stomach did a flip remembering their lovemaking the second time. Even better. “That doesn’t automatically say we’re meant for each other.” At least Jeff didn’t think so, Lacey thought as she started the engine and drove over the uneven terrain.

That didn’t stop Nora. “Look, Lacey, I saw the condition of Jeff’s leg at the hospital. He’s a lucky man that he healed so quickly. And he’s accomplished a lot so far.” She motioned toward the rider and herd. “I’m not an expert on amputees, but he’s probably loaded down with insecurities, especially when it comes to being able to please a woman. To feel like a whole man.”

Lacey couldn’t stop the rush of memories of their night together, or the blush.

Nora smiled. “He’s just like all the other proud and stubborn Randells. Think about this, Lacey. Is the man worth another chance?”

By the second day of the cattle drive, Jeff’s body had begun to feel the effects of his hours in the saddle. It was a good thing they’d arrived at camp, and so far there’d been no mishaps with any of the riders. They’d completed a count on the herd and discovered six cows missing. He sent out three of the experienced ranch hands, and within an hour they’d rounded up the steers.

He wasn’t about to leave anyone behind, man, woman or bovine, even if he had to go search on his own. Maybe that would get his mind off Lacey. Yeah, right. It didn’t seem to be working.