Capturing the Cowboy's Heart (2 page)

“Well,”
the man
drawled, “
let me see if I can make you understand the necessity of delaying this interview.  P
art of the
pasture
fence is down
. 
I had to practically drag Cade back here
just
to get lunch.  On top of that, his busted hip is giving him hell because it’s getting ready to rain.  He had to let
one
of
the
hired hands
go
a few weeks back
, leaving us short-handed
and the other
one
didn’t do jack squat today. 
So
,
you see, i
t’d be best if you just go away and come back some other time."  He stepped back
inside, the hound following suit,
and
began closing the
screen door
behind him
.

Lacy
hurried to plant
her foot in
the way, keeping the door from closing completely
.  "
I
need to go away?  Do you realize I drove eight hours nonstop from
Denver
to get here on time to do this interview?” 

The dog beside him growled
, no doubt sensing her anger towards
the ranch hand
.  “No,”
the man
commanded and then turned his attention back to her.  “
Look,
I’m real sorry things didn’t work out
as planned
. 
Real sorry.  But your interview won’t be happening today.”

“For your information,
Mr...?”

“Lowry.  Burk Lowry.”

“Well, Mr. Lowry,” she seethed, “I
have no intention of going anywhere until I’ve spoken to Mr. Tyler directly.”  Crossing her arms, Lacy stood firm.

A dark form suddenly appeared in the doorway behind the thoroughly irritating man.  “It’s all right, Burk.  I’ll handle this.” 

The man in the doorway turned.  “But-”

“There’s work to be done before it rains,” the man in the shadows replied.  “Go on.  I’ll be right behind you.” 

“
I’ll just grab my hat
,” Burk Lowry said with a nod before heading back inside, the dog trailing after him. 

T
he other man stepped
into the doorway
and
Lacy found herself staring up at the broad shoulders and muscular arms of rodeo legend Cade Tyler.  Her gaze moved slowly upward, taking in the granite-like expression on his handsome face.

“What can I do for you?” he asked as his dark blue eyes assessed her.

“I..uh...” 

He gave an exasperated sigh.  “Look, lady, if you’re a bill collector you can just get in line for your money.  I don’t have it right now."

She
was too caught up in the man’s
limb-melting
looks to really grab onto his words.  The pictures she’d seen of him on the
inter
net hadn’t done him justice at all.  Cade Tyler
was tall for a rodeo rider.  J
ust over six foot
.  Her gaze ran up those
long, jean
-
clad legs
to the
narrow waist that
only served to
emphasize his
broad
shoulders and
finely hewn
arms.  His eyes were a much deeper blue than she expected.  And where he’d been clean-shaven in
all
the pictures she’d seen of him, a five o’clock shadow now covered that strong jaw, giving him a ruggedly handsome appearance. 

Lacy sighed. 
If
one
looked Cade Tyler up in the dictionary,
they
’d find him listed as the walking, talking definition of
HUNK
.

“Pardon me?” 

Lacy
stiffened, drawn from her musings by his deep, husky voice. 
Please don’t let me have said that out loud.
  It would not only be incredibly embarrassing, but utterly unprofessional of her to
have her assignment think she was ogling him.  Even if she
had been
.

She straightened, forcing herself back into professional mode
, and announced,
“Lacy Dalton,
Bustin’ Loose Magazine
.”

A dark brow lifted. 
“
You’re from t
hat rag?”

She
stiffened at th
e
remark. 
He’d been perfectly willing to give her magazine an interview when they’d spoken on the phone.  Now
Bustin’ Loose
was a rag?  It was his mood she reminded herself, recalling Burk Lowry’s words.  She had to remain unaffected by his words and convince him to follow through with their agreement. 
The money she would make would help pay for her
grandmother
’s
care
at the
Alzheimer’s
care home back in Denver
.
  And getting her own column with the magazine would help ensure that her grandmother was properly cared for.
 

“I’m here as per our agreement,” she explained
with a forced smile
.

“Our agreement?”

“The one we discussed over the phone,” she prompted only to receive a blank look from
the man hovering over her
.  “
Where y
ou agreed to let me do a story on your life
.  A
bout how Cade Tyler, one of rodeo’s best, is living after leaving the circuit."

His expression darkened.  “I did what?”

“You-”

He cut her off.  “I heard what you said, but that’s a
flat out
lie.  I never agreed to anything.”   

He had the nerve to call her a liar?  She’d just spoken to him two days before to confirm everything.  “Look, Mr. Tyler, I’m not sure why you’ve changed your mind about letting me do
the
story, but I don’t appreciate your playing games with me.
  The least you could have done was call to let me know and saved me
the
eight hour drive.
”

“Lady, you’ve got the wrong man.  I’ve never spoken to you, nor would I ever agree dish out my personal life for the whole world to see.  So you can just go find yourself another has-been.”

“Are you always this personable?”

“Are you always this annoying?”
he countered angrily.

It took every ounce of restraint she had not to give the irritating cowboy a piece of her mind.  But getting into a verbal sparring match with him wouldn’t accomplish anything.  She couldn’t force him into letting her do the interview. 
But she also couldn’t give up. 
Her grandmother was the only family she had left and Lacy wanted to make her remaining days as comfortable as possible.

She fought back tears of frustration. 
Think, Lacey, think.  You need this assignment.
 

“You’re obviously not a man of your word,” she said,
determined
to hit him where it hurt.  A man’s pride was everything.

“
Did they just let you out of the funny farm or are you hard of hearing,”
he asked with a
deepening
frown.
 

“Excuse me?”

“For the last time,
you and I have never spoken on the phone. 
Now, if you’ll excuse me I’ve got work to do."  He grabbed his hat from just inside the door, slapped it on
to
his head and started past her, the screen door banging shut behind him.

Lacy spun around
, watching him go
.  “
Do you know what I think?” she called after him.

“No, and I don’t care to,” he replied over his shoulder.

Don’t
say
it
, an inner voice warned.  “I think you land
ed on your head one too many times during your rodeo days.
  That’s what I think!
”

Cade Tyler stopped dead in his tracks and then turned to face her.  Fury lit his eyes as he
moved
toward her
in long, angry strides
.

Lacy took a step back only to find herself up against the screen door.

“It’s not her fault,” a voice
said
behind her
, making her jump.

“What do you mean?” Cade asked, his steps halting.

Lacy moved aside, grateful Burk Lowry had chosen that moment to return.  It took a moment longer for his words to sink in.  But the moment they did she repeated Cade’s question.  “What do you mean?”

The screen door swung open
as he stepped out onto the porch, guilt written all over his face. 
“I did it.  I was the one who talked to Ms.
Dalton on the phone.”

She gasped. 
“That was you?  You
said you
were him,” she
added
, pointing
at
Cade.

The lanky cowboy s
hrugged.  “A little white lie.”

“Little hell,” Cade growled
as he moved up onto the porch to join them
.

“Look, Cade,” his
ranch hand
said, “the business needs the publicity this story would bring us.  We haven’t been able to afford the advertising we used to and
Bustin’ Loose
has a huge circulation.  This
interview
could turn things around for the Flying T.”

Cade’s expression darkened.  “I have no intention of standing here discussing my financial situation in front of this...” He turned to Lacy, his discerning gaze moving over her, “rag writer.”

“Rag writer!”
she
exclaimed, but the two men continued on as if she weren’t even there.

“I know how you feel about reporters,” Burk replied.  “But your stubbornness is going to cost us the opportunity to keep this place from running into the ground.”

“No more,” Cade said through tightly clenched teeth.  “We’ll finish this discussion later."

Lacy sensed a storm brewing and it wasn’t the one that had followed her into town.  

“Damn it, Cade—”

“Not here,” came the final warning.  “And not now.”

Burk turned to her.  “I’m real sorry to have wasted your time, Ms. Dalton.”  That said the ranch hand stalked off toward the barn.

“This can’t be happening,” she muttered.

Cade muttered a curse as he turned back to the
angry young woman
who stood on his porch, clutching her briefcase so hard her knuckles
had turned
white. 

“It seems
we
owe you an apology,” he said
with a glance in his friend’s direction
.  “I’m sure Burk meant well, but
he was out of line.  The decision wasn’t his to make.  And I’m not interested.”

Her mouth moved as if she wanted to argue the point, but snapped shut just as quickly.  Her cheeks were flushed with anger,
her amber eyes flashing
.  She looked like a volcano ready to erupt and he and Burk were right in line of the lava’s flow.

Even that didn’t keep the words from leaving his mouth. 
“I don’t like reporters.
”

“You don’t have to like me,” she said stiffly.

“
I’m real sorry
he
wasted your time coming here.
” 
And mine.
  “Burk should have known better.
”

“That’s it?” she replied
with another gasp, making no move to leave
. 

She was a stubborn, little thing.  He’d give her that much.  “There’s not
hing
else to say.  I have a fence to repair
, hopefully
before the rain lets loose
.  And
a
ranch
hand to fire
apparently.
”  Not that Burk would pay
that much
mind.  The man was a permanent fixture in Cade’s life.

“Busy man,” she said, her tone as bristly as a porcupine.  But damn if
the little blonde
wasn’t sexy when she was
all
fired up. 
A thought he quickly pushed from his mind.

“I’ll see you to your car.”  He pressed a hand to the small of her back and ushered her toward the steps, trying to redeem himself
for
his earlier lack of manners.