Wild Cowboy Ways (26 page)

“I'm right pleased to meet you, ma'am.” Blake nodded. “Deke is waiting for us so I expect we'd best get on over there. I'm looking forward to a lot of good meals right here.”

Willa Ruth mumbled something that sounded like she was pleased to meet Blake and then threw her hand up over her mouth to whisper something to the women sitting with her at the table.

Between that area and the corner Deke had saved, Allie stopped by two more tables to introduce Blake as her boyfriend. By the time they were seated with Deke and Kelly the whole place was buzzing. Allie didn't need a PhD in rocket science to know exactly what they were saying or that a few of those phones up to their ears were calling everyone else in town to give them the news.

“Well, that was bold as hell.” Deke said.

“Did I hear you right? Did you say that Blake is your boyfriend?” Kelly asked.

“I think she did,” Blake answered seriously.

“I wouldn't have a bit of trouble crawling up here on this table and telling the whole place if you were my boyfriend.” Kelly pushed back her red hair and batted her thick lashes at him. “But I don't mess with another woman's feller.”

Lizzy, Grady, and Mitch pushed through the door and Deke nodded that way. “She's liable to tear the place apart when…and there is Sharlene whispering in her ear right now.”

Everyone in the place saw Lizzy's expression, but Allie smiled and blew her sister a kiss from across the room. With those mixed signals the poor old gossip hounds wouldn't know what to say or do next.

“So I'm your boyfriend?” Blake leaned around the corner of the table and kissed Allie on the cheek. “I'm lucky to have a girlfriend as beautiful as you are.”

Kelly sighed. “Damn the luck. I would've gone to cut wood with Grandpa, but I was lazy and look what it got me.”

“I'll be your boyfriend as long as we are at this table,” Deke said.

“Why not longer?” Kelly asked.

“Because your grandpa would make sure they never found my body and that would make Allie sad since she is my best friend,” Deke answered.

“Quite the charmer, you are.” Kelly smiled.

Deke gave her a crooked little smile. “Do my best, darlin'.”

Blake glanced at the menu, which was stuck between the sugar bowl and napkin holder. “I like being your boyfriend, but you could have given me a little notice.”

“You brought me flowers. Doesn't that mean we are in a relationship?” she asked.

Before he could answer, Mary Jo appeared at the table with a little order pad and pen. “Well, you stirred up things. Nadine says to thank you because gossip is good for business.”

“I want a big greasy hamburger with mustard, fries, and a Dr Pepper. Not diet,” Allie answered. “Tell Nadine she's welcome. We are glad to be a help.”

“Make that two,” Blake said. “Double meat and add cheese please. Sweet tea instead of a soda.”

Deke nodded. “I'll take what he's having.”

“Me, too,” Kelly said.

“How long has this been going on?” Mary Jo used her pen to point at Allie and Blake.

“A while,” Allie answered.

“Some women have all the luck and just so you know, Sharlene is not a happy camper.” Mary Jo rushed across the room to take Lizzy's order.

Blake walked Allie to the porch and then caged her by putting a hand on the wall on either side of her. “As your boyfriend, I do get a good night kiss, right?”

She stood on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I'm sorry. I should have told you I was going to do that. Everyone was staring at us, so I figured I'd give them something to talk about. If you don't want a commitment, then please at least play along with me until after Lizzy's wedding so I don't have to deal with Grady anymore.”

His lips came down on hers, sweet and gentle at first, then more demanding, his tongue finding hers and the mating dance starting. Her breath came out in short raspy gasps when he finally pulled away.

“Why didn't you think of this sooner?”

“We can break up after the wedding,” she said.

“We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I'll see you tomorrow at noon and remember, since the room is done, we have a date on Thursday night. I'm thinkin' some dancin' at a honky-tonk.”

“Sounds good to me,” she said. “Good night, Blake.”

He tipped his hat brim toward her and whistled all the way to the truck.

Allie took a deep breath and pushed the door open to find both her mother and Lizzy sitting on the bottom step of the staircase. She exhaled slowly and smiled brightly.

“I guess you heard the news,” she said.

“You could have told us yourself,” Katy said. “Not that it's a big surprise but to announce it like that, are you crazy?”

“No, I'm weak. Ask Lizzy if you don't believe me.”

Lizzy rose to her feet. “Are you doing this so you have an excuse not to go out with Grady?”

Allie put her foot on the first step of the staircase. “I'm dating Blake, plain and simple, and if you would please relay that to Grady so he'll leave me alone, I will love you forever. And Lizzy, the next time you call me weak, you might do well to remember this night.”

“I know I've been mean but it's only because I worry about you and I'm sorry,” Lizzy said.

“Alora, are you sure about this?” Katy asked.

“I am, Mama and Lizzy, thanks for the concern. Family is always there when friends and marriages collapse and Lizzy, we'll be here for you no matter what, just like y'all are for me,” Allie said and then went straight to her room and shut the door. She removed her clothing down to her underpants and pulled on a soft night shirt before slipping between the covers.

She'd made the first call in saying that she and Blake were in a real relationship when she didn't know if they were or not. She'd changed the whole course of her world in a single night and now she had to face the consequences. She turned the switch on a bedside lamp, putting the room in soft shadows. She'd had more fun this past couple of weeks than she'd had in her whole life. What she and Blake had might not last forever but she'd never know if she didn't give it a shot. And besides, Allie liked her life that night. She liked what she was doing and who she was sharing it with and that's all that mattered. She shut her eyes and dreamed of Blake Dawson.

A
llie left the Lucky Penny on Wednesday afternoon in a pissy mood. She'd gotten the ceilings in the hallway and the living room bedded and taped, ready for the texturing the next day. That should have made her happy, but it didn't. She'd spent most of the day in the house all alone without even Shooter to talk to. Call it PMS or just plain old bitchiness, but she was in a horrible mood and hoped that Lizzy and Mitch had already left for midweek church services.

There had been a note beside the coffeepot that morning saying that Deke had a couple of cows delivering calves, so Blake had gone to help with the birthing process. Allie had lived in a rural community her entire life so she understood that friends helped friends.

At lunch she had heated up a bowl of leftover tortilla soup from the day before and ate it at the cabinet straight from the pan. While she was washing the pan, she got a text saying that one calf was on the ground but the other heifer was still in labor. Nothing about missing her or a mention of the date planned for the next night.

Snow fell in big fluffy flakes, melting as soon as it hit the warm van windshield on her way home that evening. The clock on the dash said that it wasn't even five o'clock yet, which was hard to believe with the darkness surrounding her. She followed Lizzy's truck and her mother's car down the lane and they all parked side-by-side right next to the gate leading into the yard.

“I hate snow,” Irene declared as she held tightly to Katy's arm. “Old people shouldn't be out in this crap. I'm not leaving the house tomorrow, so y'all best make some plans. I could break a hip in this shit.”

Allie raced ahead and unlocked the door and held it open for her mother and grandmother. Irene was still grumbling about the cold when out of nowhere a snowball hit Allie smack in the side of the face. She slammed the door and whipped around in time to dodge the second one, which hit the house with enough force to send it flying apart and peppering down into her hair.

Lizzy was scrapping up snow around the fence post and patting it together to make another one when Allie bailed off the porch and tackled her, landing them both in the half inch of snow already lying on the ground. She scraped up all she could hold in one fist and smeared it over Lizzy face. Then her sister did a roll and came up with a leg on either side of Allie's body and pinned her hands down above her head.

“You are right,” she panted.

“About what? That this shit is cold?” Allie laughed for the first time that day.

“No, about needing family. Mitch is leaving for three weeks and I have to give up my honeymoon for God and I'm so pissed I'm not even going to church tonight,” Lizzy said breathlessly.

Allie freed herself from her sister and leaned against the fence post. “Explain, please.”

Lizzy scooted over and shared the post with Allie. “A mission trip to Mexico has come up suddenly and he and Grady are going because they've got vacation time. But that means he won't have time for our honeymoon so I have to sacrifice it for him to do his mission thing. And like I said, I'm pissed.”

Allie caught a snowflake on her tongue. “You are kiddin' me, right?”

“I wouldn't tease about something this serious. We were planning a trip to Cancun where the weather would be warm, and I already bought two sweet little bathing suits, and now we'll be going straight to his apartment after the wedding. No honeymoon because his time has to be spent on a mission trip to help build a new school. And I can't bitch about it to anyone because he's doing it for God and you were right. If I didn't have you tonight, I'd be…well, I'm just glad you are here and I don't even give a damn about you liking Blake anymore.”

Allie put her arm around Lizzy's shoulders. “I'd be pissed, too.”

Lizzy grabbed her sister's hand and squeezed. “Thank you. I'm sorry about being so ugly these past weeks. This is probably my punishment for trying to run your life.”

“No apology necessary. Let's go make supper and if it keeps up, we'll make snow ice cream for Granny.” Allie hopped to her feet and pulled Lizzy up with her. “You cussed. You fell off the wagon.”

“The words I used at the store when he called me and said he was leaving in two hours blistered the paint on the walls,” Lizzy said.

“Two hours! My God, Lizzy! And he bombed you with all this on the phone? That means he's already headed to Dallas to catch the plane, right? What did you say?”

Lizzy slung the door open and led the way into the warm house. “I kept my cool and said that of course God's work should come before our honeymoon. And then I hung up and cussed until I ran out of words and cried until I ran out of tears. I'm glad I didn't have many customers or the gossip would be so hot that it would melt the North Pole.”

Both women removed coats and hung them on the rack inside the door, kicked off their boots, and tossed their stocking hats on the foyer table. Pots and pans rattled in the kitchen and the sound of Katy and Irene discussing supper floated out into the foyer.

“Does Mama know?”

Lizzy shook her head. “No, but she will in a few minutes. I might as well 'fess up because it will be all over town by bedtime.”

“Why don't you stay home with Granny tomorrow and I'll work the store for you?” Allie said. “That way you can put at least one day between you and the gossip.”

“You'd do that for me?”

Allie laid a hand over Lizzy's. “That's what sisters are for.”

Blake had awoken in a black mood on Wednesday morning. When Deke called to ask for help, he'd agreed gladly, hoping that being around cattle and new baby calves would get him out of the funk.

It did not!

Thursday at noon, when he went to the house for dinner, leaving two big piles of mesquite with three inches of snow on top of them, he finally got a handle on his problem.

It was Allie! And he fully intended to straighten it out that night when they were on their first and maybe last date. He pushed back his half-eaten roast beef sandwich, laced his hands behind his neck, and looked up at the kitchen ceiling with all its rusty brown circles. If she quit, he and Toby would have to finish putting up new drywall and they'd have to learn to texture the living room and hall.

“And insulation.” The minute the words were out of his mouth his arms began to itch.

That afternoon Herman and Deke showed up to cut firewood. There was at least a days' worth out there piled up and Blake planned on clearing more land that day. Snow on the ground wouldn't keep him from working. Sleet falling out of the sky was a different thing.

The dashboard clock said it was five o'clock when Blake parked the dozer. In another two weeks if this damn weather would cooperate, he'd begin to till the ground, then put in a crop of wheat and one of alfalfa. Not long after that, Toby would arrive with cows and there wouldn't be many days that they'd have the luxury of stopping before dark.

Deke waved and crossed the field. “Hey, the calves are doing fine. Looks like that little bull might be breeder stock. I'll have to decide later, but he's got some fine shoulders and good markings.”

“Good. Never knew how much I missed working with cattle until yesterday. I can't wait until the Lucky Penny is in full swing.” Blake fell in beside him and together they walked back to the house with Shooter dashing on ahead of them.

“So you and Allie got a date tonight to celebrate your bedroom getting finished. Where are you taking her? Dinner and a movie?”

Blake shook his head. “We do that all the time right there at the house. I'm thinking about a honky-tonk where we can have a drink and dance.”

“Then let me suggest Cowboy Heaven. It's this side of Wichita Falls and it's got a nice dance floor and it's not too loud. I take the women I really want to impress up there,” Deke said.

“Directions?” Blake asked.

“You'll see the signs for it soon as you cross the county line. It's right on the highway to the right. Big parking lot and a sign that stands tall. Can't miss it,” Deke said. “Have a good time. I'll expect a full report tomorrow. No, don't tell me a thing. If Allie's able to come to work, I'll know by lookin' at her face if she enjoyed the evening. See you tomorrow, but it won't be until midmorning. With this weather, I'm throwing out a lot of hay.”

Deke veered off toward his truck and Blake went on to the house, through the back door, and straight to the bathroom. He shucked out of his clothes while the shower water heated and then stood under it for a long time trying to figure out exactly how to approach Allie. He liked her. Hell, he might even be in love with her, but he was a man and he did not stand behind a woman's apron strings for protection.

He dressed in a fresh pair of starched jeans, straight from the cleaners back in Muenster, a plaid western shirt, and his most comfortable black boots. He had already picked up a western cut leather jacket when Shooter whined.

“Fine friend I am. You need to be fed, and I need to stoke up the fire before I leave so you don't freeze,” Blake said.

Shooter wagged his tail and headed off toward the kitchen where his food bowl and water dish stood empty. Blake took care of both containers, then filled a third one with dry food. “That should hold you until I get home and then I'll get out the treats.”

The big yellow dog was too busy gulping down the food to even wag his tail.

Allie opened the door at the same time Blake raised his hand to knock and motioned him inside. “I have to get my coat and purse and I'm ready.”

He took the dark brown suede jacket from her hands and held it for her. “You look absolutely beautiful tonight. Deke says that we should try out Cowboy Heaven. That sound good to you?”

“I love that place. They make the best cheeseburgers in the state and the dance floor is great,” she said. “And you look pretty sexy, yourself, cowboy.”

She leaned in for a kiss, expecting something that would knock her socks off, but all she got was a quick brush across her lips and then there was nothing but quietness. For a man who could talk the horns off an Angus bull when they hadn't been together in a couple of days, Blake was too damn quiet. He kept his eyes on the road and his thumbs weren't even keeping time to the music.

Something wasn't right.

For the first time since she met him, she wasn't comfortable. Forget the old proverbial elephant in the room. There was an angry Angus bull standing between them that evening. What had she done wrong? No, she wasn't going there. She'd always figured she'd done something wrong with Riley and then did her damnedest to fix it. She went over the past couple of days and she hadn't done or said anything. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked out the side window. He could open up and talk or it would be one hell of a long evening.

They went from Dry Creek through Elbert and up to Olney with neither of them saying anything except a few comments about the songs on the radio. Allie looked up and saw the Archer County sign and then all chaos broke loose as blizzard-like conditions complete with high winds and near zero visibility hit them head on.

The radio emitted one of those long bleeping noises and then an announcer said that the bad weather had taken a turn and now Highway 79 was now closed at the line between Archer and Young Counties. People were advised to only get out on the roads in case of emergencies.

“How far over that line do you think we are?” Blake asked.

“Five miles, maybe. Sign right there says it's twelve more to Archer City,” Allie answered. “I can't even see the white lines on the road.”

“Neither can I, but I think we might be the only vehicle out here. Is there a motel in Archer City?” he asked.

“A small one. Not fancy. Not a chain.” She gripped the armrest so tight that her fingers ached.

“We don't need fancy. We have to find a place to hole up until this passes through and they clean off the roads.”

The radio emitted another bleeping noise and the newest flash was that the storm was heading straight for Throckmorton County. All schools had been closed and again people were urged to stay inside.

“I hope there's a room at that motel,” Blake said.

“I hope we make it there without bogging down in this stuff. I've never seen a storm like this before,” she whispered. “I feel like I'm in an igloo.”

Blake kept both hands on the steering wheel and his eyes straight ahead, even though the headlights created a kaleidoscope that was constantly moving and came close to blinding him.

“I've been in a pissy mood for two days,” he said.

“Me, too. What's your problem?”

“I want to know if you're just using me to get Grady out of your life and off your back until Lizzy's wedding and then planning to end this relationship.”

“No, I'm not using you, Blake. And why would you think that?”

“It's doubt creeping in because I'm falling in love with you.” He eased up on the gas.

She turned around in the seat as far as she could without undoing the seat belt. “This is one hell of a time to tell me this.”

“Why, because we might slide off in a ditch and die?” he asked.

“Exactly.”

He turned to face her and his foot leaned too heavy on the gas. The truck slipped from one side of the road to the other before he got it under control and moving forward again at a trusty fifteen miles an hour.

She folded her arms over her chest and said breathlessly, “Let's wait to talk about this until we are stopped at the motel.”

Blake glanced over at her. “I wanted you to know in case we do wind up in a ditch and freeze to death in each other's arms.” He cleared his throat. “I've flat out fallen in love with you. I think it was love at first sight and I've been fighting it like hell, but it's the way it is and I want you to know.”