Born to Be a Cowboy Read online

  Nola patted her niece’s arm before turning to Becca. “I intend to return to Haller Creek another day and browse your shop to my heart’s content.”

  Becca dimpled as Nola turned to Roscoe. “Jessie told me you’re the artist who made that beautiful arch announcing Becca’s Garden.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Roscoe blushed.

  “Roscoe, I don’t care how much you charge, I just have to have one for the entrance to my ranch. Do you think you could do it?”

  His color deepened. “I’d be happy to, ma’am.”

  “Oh, thank you.” She laughed like a young girl. “I can already see it in my mind. A pretty wrought-iron arch proclaiming the Blair Ranch since 1870.”

  “What did I tell you, Roscoe?” Becca was all smiles. “Everybody who sees that piece of art wants one like it.”

  Nola turned to Sam. “I’m told you’re the one who most enjoys ranching like your father.”

  Sam was grinning from ear to ear. “I do love it. Of course, when I first got here, I’d have been the last one to believe that. I thought the barns smelled. The cattle smelled. The whole life of a rancher smelled. And now I wouldn’t trade it for any other life.”

  “I feel the same way.” Nola shared his smile. “No matter how hard the work is, it satisfies my soul.”

  She turned to Ben. “Jessie tells me that you and your wife are building a home in the hills. I can’t say I blame you for wanting a retreat from the crime you’re forced to deal with on a daily basis.”

  Ben touched a hand to the badge over his heart. “I love my work, no matter how tough it is. But the new house isn’t so much a retreat as a dream I’ve had since I was a kid. A place to call my own that nobody can ever take away.” He looked over at Mac. “When my brothers and I came to live here, Mac invited each of us to pick a spot that called to us, and he would see that it was all ours. To kids without roots, that sounded like heaven.”

  “You’re a generous man, Mac.”

  Mac shook his head firmly. “I’m just a lucky man, Nola. These three have given me so much more than I could ever give them.” He put a hand over Mary Pat’s. “And I’ve been lucky in the friends I have. Mary Pat and Zachariah made it possible for these three to become my sons. Roscoe and Otis had the patience of saints through the years as three rough-and-tumble boys learned how to be respectful men.” He looked around. “I hate to think what my life would have been like without all of these good people to share it.”

  Nola nodded her head and glanced at Jessie. “I know what you mean, Mac. My niece has filled my life with such joy.”

  Jessie blushed and lowered her head.

  Nola turned to Penny. “This was the most amazing dinner ever. If all of you had come to dinner at my place, it would have been a far cry from this. Thank you so much, Penny.”

  The young woman pushed away from the table and looped her arm through Nola’s as she led the way to the parlor. “You’re welcome, Nola. We’re all so happy that you and Jessie could be here with us tonight.”

  As they gathered around the fireplace, Nola turned to Finn with a sly smile. “It seems I’ve talked to everyone here about the things they love. I know you love being a lawyer. And I’m told you’re a good one. But there’s something else I’d rather talk to you about.”

  He arched a brow. “What’s that?”

  “Love and marriage.”

  He went very still. “You’ve got me confused with my brothers. That’s not something I have any experience with.”

  “You could say the same about me.” She gave a self-deprecating smile. “After all, my only experience at love and marriage was a disaster. But I know how much I love my niece. That should count for something.” She paused before issuing her challenge. “If not marriage, can you talk to me about love, Finn?”

  Finn’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What game are you playing, Miss Blair?”

  “Now I’m Miss Blair?” She arched a brow. “I prefer Nola.”

  When Finn held his silence she reached for the fancy bag she’d brought. “This is for you, Finn. My little gift to thank you for saving my life.”

  “I appreciate the thought. But a gift isn’t necessary.” He eyed the bag with a wary look.

  Her smile widened. “Go ahead and open it. It won’t bite.”

  He reached in and removed tissue from a framed photograph of Jessie as a child, sad-faced and too shy to look directly at the camera.

  To the others Nola said, “This was Jessie at the age of five, when she’d just lost her parents and had come to live with me on my ranch.” Nola chuckled as Finn held it up for the others to see. “I can’t tell you how terrified I was that I would make things worse for that shy, frightened, wounded little mouse you see in that photograph. But as the years flew by, she blossomed into this smart, self-assured young woman, ready to go off and conquer the world.”

  Nola pointed to the bag. “There’s more.”

  Finn removed another tissue-wrapped package to reveal a framed photograph of Ben, Sam, and Finn, taken shortly after arriving at Mac’s ranch, at the ages of ten, eleven, and twelve. They were sullen and defiant, dressed in hand-me-down jeans and torn T-shirts, their hair badly in need of cutting, showing the camera identical menacing scowls.

  Finn looked over. Before he could ask, Nola explained, “Mary Pat was kind enough to lend me that old photo, which I had copied and enlarged before framing it.”

  As Finn held it up for the others to see, there were bursts of raucous laughter around the room.

  “Look at us,” Sam called. “We were the baddest of the bad.”

  “Hey.” Ben dropped an arm around his wife and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “We still are.”

  “Yes, dear.” Becca patted his arm. “Only now, thank heaven, you’re on the right side of the law. You’ll never know how happy that makes my parents.”

  That brought another round of laughter.

  “There’s one more.” Nola watched as Finn removed a third tissue-wrapped photo.

  It was a copy of the Polaroid photograph the rancher had taken of Finn and Jessie at the little cabin they’d shared during that memorable storm. Now, enlarged and framed, it revealed in vivid detail the joy radiating from the two of them. It was apparent to everyone how vibrant, how alive, how obviously in love these two people were.

  Nola looked around with a sheepish smile. “I happened to see this in Jessie’s room.” She turned to her niece. “I hope you don’t mind. I had it copied and enlarged before framing it.”

  To the others she said, “Anyone who can transform from this”—she pointed to the childhood photos—“to this”—she pointed to the smiling couple in the other photo—“has learned a great deal about love. Love of family can transform a shy girl into a self-assured career woman. Love of family can turn even the toughest little delinquent into a man of honor. But the love of a good man and woman…” Her smile grew. “Now there’s the most amazing transformation of all.”

  In the silence that followed, Nola cleared her throat. “I didn’t raise Jessie to be a slave to me in my old age. I raised her to be a strong, independent woman who would be free to follow her heart, no matter where it takes her.”

  Jessie started toward her aunt. “But I…”

  Nola lifted a hand to stop her. “I know you think you’re being noble, and giving me what I need. I overheard you that day you brought me home from the hospital. You were prepared to sacrifice the rest of your life to keep me from being lonely.” Her smile softened, as did her words. “No matter where you go or what you do, we’ll always be a part of one another’s lives. That’s what family is. And we’ll get together often, to celebrate good times and bad. But my greatest joy in this world will be to watch my wonderful niece loving, and being loved by, a good man, and building a future with him.”

  She turned to Finn. “Now, would you like to talk to me about love?”

  He was staring at Jessie.

  And though Jessie tried to look away, she couldn’t.
>
  They were completely unaware of anyone else in the room. The look of hunger in their eyes was almost blinding in its intensity.

  Finn reached out a hand and Jessie crossed the room to take it.

  As they started out of the parlor, Nola called, “About that talk…”

  “I owe you big-time, Nola.” Finn speared her a glance. “We’ll talk. Soon. I promise. But right now…”

  Finn and Jessie stepped into the kitchen. Before the door even closed they came together in a fierce embrace.

  Finn breathed her in, loving the way she fit so perfectly in his arms. “Oh, babe, I’ve been so miserable without you.”

  “So have I. You’ll never know how many times I started to call you. But what was there to say? I thought I was doing the right thing by telling you good-bye. But oh, how it hurt. I love you, Finn Monroe.”

  “I love you more, Jessie Blair.” He kissed her until they were both breathless. When he came up for air he whispered, “I didn’t know how I was going to live without you, but I was determined to try. And now…” He framed her face with his hands, pressing butterfly kisses over the corner of her mouth, her cheek, the tip of her nose. “Thanks to that smart woman who raised you, I get a second chance. Will you marry me, Jessie, and spend the rest of your life making me the happiest man in the world?”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on as her whole world began to tilt and shift. “Yes, yes, yes! Oh, Finn, I thought we’d lost our chance for happiness.”

  The door opened and the entire family spilled into the kitchen, laughing, shouting, and offering congratulations to the happy couple.

  “About time,” Ben called as he slapped Finn on the back.

  Becca hugged Jessie before stepping away to allow Penny to do the same.

  Sam was busy teasing his brother. “How the mighty have fallen, bro. Didn’t you once say you’d never fall into the marriage trap?”

  “Did I?” Finn was too happy to think about a clever retort. Instead, he turned away to accept hugs from Nola and Mary Pat, and handshakes from Otis and Roscoe.

  Zachariah solemnly shook his hand. “I do believe you’ve just been through your most earth-shattering trial of all, Finnian.”

  “Yeah. How’d I do?”

  “You’ve made your old mentor proud.”

  Mac, who had stood back until everyone else had offered their congratulations, stepped up to clap a big hand on Finn’s shoulder. “I’m happy for you, son.”

  “Thanks, Dad. I know I’ve been hard to live with these last few weeks.”

  Mac smiled. “Love is messy. But when it’s between two good people, it’s still the very best thing in the world.”

  Jessie walked up and said shyly, “I know this is sudden.”

  Mac couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Jessie, the only ones who didn’t see this coming were you and Finn. The rest of us wondered why it took you so long.”

  “Really?”

  He kissed her cheek. “Welcome to the family.”

  And then, as they gathered around the table, passing out longnecks and glasses of wine to celebrate their good news, talking and laughing and making plans, Finn caught Jessie’s hand and led her into the parlor.

  With the joyful sounds of their family in the background, they stood together, locked in an embrace, filled with joy.

  Chapter Thirty

  After a long day of chores, the family was gathered in the kitchen, sipping longnecks as they all helped put the finishing touches on dinner.

  When Jessie and Finn walked in, Archie was the first to greet them, wriggling with delight.

  “Hello, you sweet thing.” Jessie stooped to scratch behind his ears while Finn tossed his attaché case aside and shed his cowhide jacket.

  “Well?” Mary Pat paused in her work. “How did that office work out for you, Jessie?”

  The young woman gave her a wide smile. “It’s perfect. Just enough room for a desk and chair and a few filing cabinets, and possibly a second desk if I ever get enough clients to need an assistant.”

  Finn dropped an arm around her shoulders. “And since it’s next door to my office, we can sneak in a few visits between clients.”

  Mary Pat laughed. “Best of all, the little town of Haller Creek will finally get its very own CPA. One of the complaints I hear from ranchers around here is that they have nobody to answer their hundreds of questions about filing their quarterly and annual taxes. I predict, Jessie dear, that you’re about to become their best friend, and you’ll soon have more business than you can handle.”

  Jessie put a hand to her heart. “From your lips, Mary Pat.”

  She and Finn accepted longnecks from Sam.

  “Dinner is ready,” Penny announced as she set a platter filled with thick slices of meat loaf in the middle of the table.

  Roscoe breathed deeply as they took their places. “I’ve been thinking about this food for the past hour.”

  “Then you can start.” Mary Pat handed him the platter and he helped himself before holding it out to Otis, who did the same before passing it on.

  With Mary Pat leading, they joined hands and offered a blessing.

  Around the table, the family spent a leisurely hour catching up on one another’s day.

  Becca shared a smile with Ben. “Wait until you see the house. It’s already starting to look like a home.”

  “That’s good news.” Sam helped himself to seconds. “Because as soon as Conway Miller finishes with your place, he promised to have his crew start on ours.”

  Penny nodded. “The first crew has already roughed in the shell. The walls are up, and they promised to have the roof on next week.”

  Finn squeezed Jessie’s hand. “We drove up in the hills before coming here. We’ve been looking over plans, and we think we know which one we’d like to build. As soon as Conway can fit us into his schedule.”

  He turned to Mac. “You’ve invited us to stay here until after the wedding, but I’m thinking it might be easier for us to get a small apartment in town until our house is built. That way we can both just walk to our offices.”

  Becca and Ben shared a knowing look before Ben said, “Since we’re ready to move into our new house, why not rent Becca’s little house in town? You can still walk to work, and it has everything you’d need.”

  Jessie’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t mind, Becca?”

  “Mind? I’d love knowing you and Finn were there.”

  Finn and Jessie turned to one another with matching smiles.

  In unison they said, “Thank you.”

  When Ben’s cell phone rang he stepped away from the table and walked into the parlor. A short time later he returned, just as Penny was passing around slices of carrot cake mounded with vanilla ice cream.

  “If you don’t mind, I invited Basil Caldwell to stop by. He and the state police have been compiling a list of Wayne Stone’s past criminal activities, and he wants to bring us up to date.”

  Mac set aside his empty coffee cup. “Shouldn’t Jessie’s aunt be here, as well?”

  Jessie smiled. “Aunt Nola is up in the hills with the herd. She’d never get cell service up there.”

  Ben nodded. “It’s just as well. Basil doesn’t think Stone’s past crimes would impact Nola one way or the other. She has an airtight case against him.”

  Mac shrugged. “All right. Whatever you say, son.”

  When they’d polished off their dessert, Mac, Mary Pat, Roscoe, Otis, and Zachariah made their way to the parlor, where they settled into comfortable chairs in front of a roaring fire.

  In the kitchen Ben and Becca, Sam and Penny, and Finn and Jessie tackled the cleanup. The sounds of teasing and laughter could be heard throughout the house.

  Mary Pat reached over to put a hand on Mac’s. “I’ll never grow tired of hearing that.”

  He nodded. “I was just thinking the same.”

  “They won’t be that far away, Mac.”

  He met her gaze. “I know. Like Nola,
I’ve always known the day would come when all my chicks would fly. I guess we’re never really prepared for it, though.”

  The crunch of wheels on gravel announced the arrival of Basil Caldwell.

  Minutes later he stepped into the parlor, followed by the others, who sat crowded around the fire as he stood before them, reading from his notes.

  “We’ve uncovered more details about Wayne Stone’s early years. His legal name is Milton Morley. The youngest of six boys, he grew up on a farm in Minnesota. Two of his siblings still live there and work the farm. Their parents were hard-drinking and hardworking, and died years ago. Milton dropped out of school at sixteen and was never seen again. His brothers called him a chameleon. He could change in the blink of an eye from mild-mannered one minute to a tough, no-nonsense bully who had to be in control. They were glad to be rid of him.”

  Basil paused and cleared his throat. “Milton’s first alias is believed to have been Shepherd Strump.”

  There was an audible gasp as the family heard the name of the cowboy who had lured Mac’s teenaged sister away from her family when Mac was just a boy.

  Everyone turned toward Mac, who looked thunderstruck.

  Gradually, as the news sank in, Mac found his voice. “Was Ellen his first victim?”

  “We believe so.” Basil nodded. “I’m sorry to break this to you, Mac, but the authorities have found where she was buried. They’re testing for toxins. They’d be willing to return her remains to you, if you’d like.”

  Mac’s hands clenched in his lap. “Yes. Of course. She can be buried alongside our parents.”

  “There’s more, Mac.”

  Mac blinked. “What more could there be?”

  “Milton had a history of seeing to it that there were no loose ends. What he wanted from the beginning was to acquire as much land as possible. He saw himself as some sort of Old West cattle baron.”

  “And my mother made that happen by willing Ellen or her heirs the south pasture.”

  Basil nodded. “And he was happy to lay claim to it. But when you were notified that an heir had come forward, though you accepted it, your wife, Rachel, decided to investigate further. She went to the county seat to see if she could learn the name and address of the heir, so that she could surprise you with a reunion.” Basil’s voice lowered. “What she didn’t know was that Milton, or Strump as he was calling himself, was paying someone in the records department to notify him if anyone should ever poke around his business. The authorities now have reason to believe that the accident that claimed the life of your wife, Rachel, and son, Robbie, was not an accident, but may have been a deliberate attempt to eliminate any further questions about Milton’s claim. He made a mistake, of course. He thought you would be in that truck as well. But it seems that once the collision was deemed an accident by the authorities, he saw that your grief overtook you and figured it would keep you out of his business, and he decided he wouldn’t pursue it further.”