Heart of a Cowboy (2 page)

He looked back at the black truck that hit him. It was an oversized, gas-guzzling, freaking dually pickup truck, for Christ’s sake. He might as well have been run over by a tank. It would have probably hurt less. Suddenly, the driver’s side door flew open and a six-foot cowboy jumped out, hood sliding like Bo Duke. The guy was on him before he could move, grabbing him up by the shirt and slamming his head back down to the concrete. His vision swam and his brain pounded against his skull.

“Shit. Please stop!” He put his hands out to protect himself and offered the purse simultaneously to the Indian straddling his hips.

The Indian man just handed it off to the cowboy standing next to him.

“You better pray Angela’s not hurt, because if she is I’ll have to take it out on that pretty face of yours.” The Indian yanked Derek to his feet, twisting his arm behind his back. He pushed Derek back toward the girl he stole the purse from and the crowd of onlookers.

Shit and double-shit.

It looked like his luck had just run out.

Chapter Two

“Now aren’t you glad I came along as the designated driver?” Ishwar asked his good friend and boss, Jesse.

“I could have taken the kid.”

“Sure you could have. Anybody can catch roadkill,” Ishwar joked.

“I didn’t kill him, even if I did want to.” Jesse shook his head.

Red and blue police lights flashed in the nearly deserted parking lot. Most of the onlookers had gone home when they realized there was nothing left to see. A few people stayed, and stared at the thief through, but even they were beginning to get bored watching Ishwar, Angela, and Jesse answer questions for a police report. The young man’s profile remained strong and rigid.

“I don’t know what possessed that kid to do that.” Ishwar shook his head in disapproval. He still felt pissed off that he let it happen at all. He shouldn’t have left Angela’s side, but he thought he and his good friend Jesse would run to get the truck while she was in the restroom. That’s what he got for letting his impatient side rule him.

Now, his blood was still pumping from tackling the young man earlier. It annoyed him to feel the instant attraction to the young thief, but it wasn’t just the fact that the man was undeniably handsome. His dark brows and blue eyes were startling against his fair skin and light hair. He would stand out in a magazine as a model, but the way his body felt beneath Ishwar’s on the pavement still echoed in his mind.

“Don’t worry about it,” the police officer answered. “He won’t trouble you again. This looks like an open-and-shut case. As soon as we’re done here, I’ll take Derek downtown and book him.”

“Derek?” Angela blinked back surprise. “Do you know him, Officer?”

“Sure do, the kid’s been on my beat for the last six years. He’s a runaway from a group home and got into some trouble. The kid was too young to work a real job, so he made his living by selling the only thing he could. I picked him up occasionally for prostitution. I’ll say one thing for him. He kept his nose clean, stayed away from gangs and drugs. I had hopes he would clean up his act and make it, but it looks bad.”

“He’s still a kid? How old is he?” Jesse’s lips pursed together to form a thin line.

The cop shook his head and shut his leather binder. “This time’s going to be different. This time’s he’s going to be tried as an adult.”

“Jesse, this doesn’t feel right.” Jesse’s girlfriend, Angela, tugged on his shirt sleeve.

“Angela!” Jesse placed his hand over hers, but he grimaced visibly. “Now’s not a time to go all soft on me.”

”Don’t worry.” Ishwar tapped his foot impatiently, looking at Derek through the police car window. He’d known enough pretty boys over his lifetime to know guys like him felt entitled to take what they wanted. The young man needed consequences for his actions, and going to jail was probably just the wake-up call he needed. “He’s going to get what he deserves. The guy’s going to jail.”

“No, but don’t you see? Nobody ever gave him a chance to do the right thing in life.” Angela looked like she was about to tear up on him and cry at any moment.

“Derek had a choice, and he still does. Now those choices will just involve a probation officer.” Jesse chuckled.

Angela’s brows furrowed, and she didn’t bother to laugh at Jesse’s joke. She turned to address the police officer. “Did you ask him why he stole my purse?”

He shrugged. “Derek said he hadn’t eaten in two days and he was too hungry to think clearly, but why doesn’t matter much. The judge is going to take one look at his record and give him the maximum sentence.”

Angela’s chin dropped. The horror of that statement chilled her to her bones. “Jesse, he needs our help. Ishwar, can’t you do something?”

“He assaulted you.” Jesse’s voice was loving but firm. He was not going to bend on this issue, not even when she looked at him with tears in her eyes. “He needs jail.”

“I know, but he won’t get the help he needs in jail.” She pleaded with Jesse, giving him a doe-eyed look that would make even Rambo cave in.

“Ah, here we go. It’s just like a woman to wanna rescue every stray she sees,” Ishwar muttered under his breath.

“What did you say?” Angela must have heard him because her face darkened.

“Nothin’.” Ishwar shook his head. He might as well give up now, because Angela was as bullheaded as they came.

“Can I drop the charges, Officer?” she asked.

“Angela!” Jesse stomped his foot. “How could you even bring up the idea?”

“No, ma’am. I have to book him, but if you want a copy of the police report, it should be ready on Monday with the holidays and all.”

Angela couldn’t take her eyes off the dejected man staring at the floorboards of the police car. She stomped her foot. “He can’t spend Christmas in jail!”

Jesse sighed in disgust. “Angela, don’t do this. You don’t know that guy. Jail might be just what he needs.”

“At least he won’t go hungry in jail.” The officer handed her a business card with some handwritten numbers on the back of it and his name on the front. “If you need anything else, feel free to give me a call.”

* * * *

“You made bail.” The door unlocked with a metallic ring, snapping Derek out of his daydreams. This had to be some kind of trick. He’d heard enough stories to make him cynical.

Sure, lead the gay guy out of the holding cell to a private place where he can have the shit beat out of him.
No witnesses meant no one gets sued later. He’d rather stay here, thank you very much.

He didn’t bother getting up from the cot. The gray stone walls closed in around him. “I don’t have any friends who could afford to bail me out.”

The guard stood in the open doorway to the only exit of the small room. “Well, there’s a cowboy out front who claims to know you. Get your stuff and let’s go.”

A cowboy? Now that detail was going to be bugging him until he found out who the guard was talking about. He didn’t know any cowboys. “You took all my stuff, remember?”

“I don’t have time to stand here all day. Roll up your mattress and get your shoes on.”

Derek did as he was told and followed the guard out of his cell with his mattress in his hands and the few possessions he was issued when he checked into his cell. “I’m not trying to be a pain or anything, but I still don’t see how this is even possible.”

* * * *

The clerk behind the desk stamped and dated a few pieces of paper before handing them to Derek. “Theft from a person is a pretty serious charge. It’s a felony and you’ll have to come back on March third for your court date.”

Damn, the young man seemed to be as clueless as they came, fumbling through the paperwork. If he had such a long rap sheet as the cop claimed, wouldn’t he know the drill by now? Of course, he was probably a little critical since he didn’t want to be there in the first place. Angela had him by the balls, and he was only giving the young man half a chance because of her.

“Okay,” Derek answered. His back was to Jesse, so he didn’t see him at first or recognize the same cowboy who had tackled him with Ishwar.

“I’ll need you to sign here and here.” The cop pointed and Derek whipped his pen into a nearly unrecognizable scribble. “Make sure you remember to mark your court date on your calendar. If you don’t show up the judge will issue a bench warrant.”

Jesse knew the moment Derek recognized him from his adventure a few hours ago. His face had a shell-shocked expression, like his stomach had dropped to his feet. His expression was sheer terror and spoke volumes. Jesse could only imagine what was going through his head right now.
This is the cowboy who bailed me out?
Jesse smiled, enjoying that little bit of power he felt over the young man. Sure, he wanted to kick the guy’s ass, but this gave him almost as much satisfaction.

“What are you doing here?” Derek had long, dishwater blond hair, and striking dark blue eyes framed with long lashes. He could easily have been a model, and had very beautiful fair skin any woman would be envious of. He could be working as a model, but instead he was working the streets. Angela was right. The boy needed help turning his life around, but he had to want it first. If he didn’t want to change, then no one could help him.

“Paying your bail for theft from a person.” Jesse looked him up and down. He could take him in a fight if he had to. He was about five foot ten and a few inches shorter than Jesse. His frame was still wiry, resembling more a boy than a man, and Jesse had at least fifty pounds on the man.

Derek made a squished-up face, but he still had a pretty-boy look. “I don’t want your money, mister.”

“Why not?” He had been ready to steal his money, but he wouldn’t take it when it was willing to give it to him? Talk about a mixed sense of values. The man needed more help than Jesse first realized, and his pride could get in the way of him getting it.

“Because I don’t want to owe nobody nothin’ and every time someone helps me, there are strings attached.”

“You’re right. I expect something for my money.”

Derek’s sour facial expression shared his cynicism. “You don’t own me.”

“And I don’t want to. I paid fifteen hundred dollars for your bail and I expect you to work it off at my ranch. I could use the help this time of year.”

“You’re giv-giving me a job?” With the stutter, Jesse suspected he might be slipping back into an old childhood habit, which Jesse chose to ignore.

“Yeah, if you want it. Otherwise, I could keep my money and let you stay here over Christmas.”

Jesse gave him a moment to consider the offer.

“I still expect you to do the right thing and show up for court.” Jesse watched his expression carefully for a softening of the hard grimace. “I am just giving you an honest day’s pay and a place to stay. It’s not much, eight hundred dollars a month plus food and lodging. You get one night off a week, and the men usually rotate the night off. So the animals still get fed.”

“What kind of work?”

“We have to feed the animals a little extra since the grass is dormant this time of year, and check and mend the fences. Some of the young colts need to be worked. There’s always work to do, and right now we are short one guy. What do ya say?” Jesse smiled a little, wondering if the young man had the good sense to know a good thing when he saw it,

“I don’t know nothin’ about horses.” Derek frowned, and a dimple marked his cheek. He was a pretty boy and Jesse doubted he would be able to stick it out, but he was doing this for Angela more than Derek. Hopefully a good day’s work would knock some sense into him. Maybe Luke, his foreman, could do some good with the young man.

Jesse shrugged. “You don’t have to. I’ll teach you everything there is to know.”

“Your lady won’t be mad at me? I did steal her purse.”

“It was Angela’s idea that you come to stay with us, but it won’t all be fun and games. I expect you to live by my rules when you’re under my roof. No drinking, no drugs, and no women.”

That was the closest thing to a smile that Jesse saw cross his lips. It disappeared just as quickly. Derek wet his lips and thrust out his hand for Jesse. Derek’s hands were soft and in sharp contrast to his own work-roughed hands. “Okay, you got a deal.”

Jesse grasped Derek’s hands in a firm handshake. He winked at the man, trying to lighten the spirit. Many men gave up after a few days of working sunup to sundown and the kid had a good chance of backing out of their deal, but he’d give him every chance to work it off.

He threw his arm over Derek’s shoulders and patted him on the back. “Great. I’ll consider you a man of your word and hold you to it. Life on the ranch is hard work, but, uh, you get used to it.”

* * * *

Luke, the foreman took care of everything Jesse couldn’t on the ranch. He showed Derek to his bed and where he could put the stuff he didn’t have. He asked if he had any work clothes and Derek was embarrassed to explain he didn’t have any. Luke shrugged it off, telling him not to worry and he’d get him some hand-me-down blue jeans.

Luke was kind of rough on the outside, but his attitude toward Derek was fair and he didn’t treat him differently just because he was working off a bill. His worn jeans didn’t make a statement other than Luke was used to working hard, and he wore a maroon button-down shirt with the long sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The gray streaks in Luke’s hair gave a clue to his age, but his blue eyes were welcoming and friendly. Derek had no clue whether Jesse had told Luke he was bailed out of jail, but he liked him because of that attitude. He wasn’t treated like some pariah of society. He was just another guy to Luke. He wasn’t some piece of ass. Luke really was being nice for the sake of being nice. There was no ulterior motive.

Which was great, for once.

Derek looked around the small room. It was small by anyone’s standards, barely large enough to hold the bunk beds and a chest of drawers, but it was his. He was lucky enough he wouldn’t be sharing it with anyone else. It felt good to claim the space as his.

“Can’t believe Jesse didn’t bring your clothes.” Luke shook his head, clicking his tongue disapprovingly. “I know that boy has better manners than that. I helped raise him right. He should have dropped by your house to pick up your clothes before he came over here. I’ll take you home this evening if you want.”