One Texas Cowboy Too Many (Burnt Boot, Texas) (24 page)

Leah loved the simplicity of the dinner. Pot roast with potatoes and carrots, salad, and a loaf of sourdough bread, sliced and toasted in the oven.

“This is taking it back to the basics,” Declan said.

Russell wiped his mouth with the paper napkin and said, “Don’t you love it? Food is great, Leah.”

“Save room for ice cream. We’ve even got caramel topping and chopped pecans if you want to make it into a sundae.”

“I really do love it,” Declan said. “You are a lucky dog, Leah.”

“Is that a polite way of calling me a bitch?” She grinned.

“No, ma’am. I’m not stupid. Anyone that would buck up against Granny has my respect enough that I’d never call her names.”

“Would you look at that?” Rhett pointed to the corner of the kitchen.

They’d brought Leah’s mama cat, Ella, into the house to get her acquainted with the place. Now Dammit was lying close enough to the carrier that the kittens were sticking their paws out to touch him. He licked every one that came out the slits in the sides.

“He’s getting his scent on them so that Ella will trust him. Smart dog,” Russell said.

“You think we could open the door?” Leah asked.

“If you’re careful not to let her out for a day or two. She might try to bring a kitten at a time back to River Bend and wind up getting killed on the road,” Declan answered.

Leah left the table and pulled the door open. Dammit didn’t move, but Ella tiptoed out with her hair fluffed up, a low growl in her throat. She eyed Dammit and laid her ears back like she might be about to claw him into shreds. He wagged his tail and licked her from chin to ears. She sputtered and spewed and then ignored him completely. The kittens tumbled out one after another and attacked Dammit’s moving tail, crawling over his body like he was a big throw pillow.

“I think they’ll be friends,” Rhett said.

Leah had it all—cats, a dog, and a man that she loved.

Whoa! Love was a pretty strong word right there in the middle of all the chaos surrounding her.

That is your grounding wire
, Eve said in her head.
All the rest you can take care of a little at a time, but Rhett O’Donnell has been your solid ground since the day you met him. So yes, you love him. When do you plan on letting him know?

* * *

After ice cream and coffee, Rhett really wanted a nap, but country manners said that he should ask Declan and Russell if they’d like a tour of the ranch. “I’m just now figuring out what is going on here. I’ve been a rancher my whole life, at least when I didn’t have big dreams about being a bull rider or a Hell’s Angel. But y’all know the land and the climate up here better than I do and I’d appreciate any advice you might give me.”

Russell chuckled. “I was going to be a fireman or a science teacher.”

“Really?” Leah asked.

“Of course. My first love was science. My second was ranching. But man, those firemen looked cool in all that gear,” Russell said.

“I wanted to grow up and be an astronaut. My advice is to stay away from the feud and put up lots of hay. And shoot any Gallaghers that set fire to your property,” Declan said.

“We’d love to look at the ranch,” Russell said. “Can’t even remember the last time I was on this place.”

“I’ve never seen the lay of the land,” Declan said.

“Well, you cowboys go on and I’ll clean up the kitchen,” Leah said.

“Paper plates, paper napkins, and disposable cups,” Declan laughed.

“That’s cleanup around here. I’ll stay behind to be sure my cats don’t hurt Dammit.”

The dog’s ears popped up at the sound of his name, and he trotted over to her, five kittens chasing along behind him.

Rhett helped her carry all the paper goods to the trash can. “Dammit will want to go with us. He probably already knows places that I haven’t seen. Maybe he’ll take us on an adventure.”

“Then my cats and I will have a nap,” she told him.

Rhett dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Sounds good. If Honey shows up, tell her that Declan is already eyeballing the space in front of the fireplace.”

* * *

The guys had barely gotten the back door shut when someone pounded on the front door. Dammit had gone with them, and a mama cat and five kittens wouldn’t offer much help if it was Tanner again, so she peeked out the curtain.

“Honey?” she said aloud as she swung the door open.

“I got here as fast as I could. Granny is seething that Uncle Russell and Declan are here for dinner. She says that they’re taking your side. I swear we may have a civil war in the Brennan family before this is all over. Is that roast I smell? I couldn’t eat over there, and I’m starving. Got any leftovers?” She talked the whole way to the kitchen.

“It was a big roast. Get a paper plate out of the cabinet and help yourself.” Leah poured two red plastic cups of sweet tea and carried them to the table, being careful not to step on a kitten on the way. “Salad is in a plastic container in the refrigerator. Bread is on the top of the cabinet beside the roast. We had ice cream for dessert.”

“Cats in the house?” Honey picked her way to the table with a full plate of food.

“This is not River Bend.”

“Enjoy it because if Uncle Russell overrides Granny, you’ll probably be living back at River Bend by the end of next week,” Honey said.

“Why?”

“You won’t be able to afford to live outside of the ranch without a job and the Gallaghers are putting up a big stink with the school board. According to them, a fourth-grade schoolteacher should not be living with a man in sin,” Honey said between bites.

“You are kiddin’ me.” Leah’s eyes widened in shock.

Honey shook her head slowly. “Wish I were but I’m not. They’ve caused such a problem that there’s going to be an emergency school board meeting on Thursday next week. Naomi is on the agenda and so is Granny.”

“I wonder how much money will change hands between now and then.” Leah sighed.

“Uncle Russell won’t let you down. He’ll let you come back to River Bend if they fire you,” Honey said.

“I’m not going back there, Honey. I like it here. Maybe Rosalie will give me a job at the bar at night and I can always pick up substitute work in Gainesville until next year,” Leah declared.

“God, I wish I had your nerve and determination,” Honey said.

“I wish I’d had it a long time ago,” Leah whispered. A picture of her little student, Millie Gallagher, flashed through her mind. If they fired her, it wouldn’t be until Friday morning, so that sweet little girl would damn sure have a party on Thursday, complete with cupcakes and party hats and games.

Rhett found Leah in the utility room sitting on the floor with a lap full of sleeping kittens. Her mama cat was in the carrier, purring loudly. Before the scene could, change he took his phone from his pocket and snapped a picture when she looked up.

“I’m sending this to my sister, Katie. She loves cats too.” He sat down close enough that their hips touched. “Did you name them yet?”

“Sure I did. That’s the fun of kittens. You can name them all kinds of silly names.”

“Your mama cat doesn’t have a silly name,” he said.

Leah laid her head on his shoulder. “Yes, she does. I named her Cinderella because she has gold hair, but she was so wild that her middle name is Deville. Ella is her nickname.”

Rhett chuckled. “And do each of those critters have two names?”

“No, they are all boys but one, which is unusual. The girl is Rose.” She pointed at the yellow kitten. “The boys are Jack, Jim, and Jameson, and the runt here is Johnny.”

He reached out and rubbed each one on the head with his forefinger. “I like it. Think they’ll grow up to be outlaws and be known as the Whiskey Kids?”

“You never know what a kid is going to grow up to be,” she said.

“Are we still talking about cats?”

“Probably not.”

Dammit flopped down beside the carrier and whined. Ella hissed at him once, then went back to purring.

“I believe they’ll be friends. No one can resist Dammit’s charm, not even a cat,” Rhett said.

“He’s like you. Not many people can resist your charms either,” Leah said. “Daddy and Declan like you.”

“Feeling is mutual. We’re going to win this Brennan war a relative at a time. Your dad had some good advice to pass on to me about the cattle. We agreed on almost every one that needed to be culled out and replaced with new blood this fall. He even said that he’d give me first chance to buy a couple of new bulls from the River Bend sale in October.”

“He must like you, but I don’t think six weeks is enough time for Granny to let you set a foot back on River Bend,” she said.

“Maybe we need a miracle,” Rhett said.

“It would take more than a simple little miracle. Hell would have to freeze over and the angels in heaven would have to be willing to ice skate on it.” She sighed.

“Are we still talking about buying two new bulls?”

She shook her head.

“What’s on your mind, Leah?” Rhett cocked his head to one side to see her face better.

“They’ve called a special school board meeting, Rhett. The Gallaghers want me fired for living with you,” she blurted out.

His first thought was that he was going to beat the hell out of Tanner Gallagher. The egotistical fool had begged for it, and Rhett had kept his temper on ice, but this was going too far. It might not help matters, but it would damn sure make Rhett feel better.

The next thought was far more rational and would probably produce more results than a black eye and busted knuckles. They’d take a lawyer with them to the school board meeting and threaten to file a suit against the Gallaghers. That might back Naomi up a step or two.

“Who’s on the school board?” he asked.

“Not Gallaghers or Brennans because it’s an elected position and the next election isn’t until spring. But the Gallaghers have deep pockets. Think about it—they already donated enough to the church to pay a youth director’s salary for three years.”

He tipped her chin up with his knuckles and traced her lips with his forefinger. By the slight shiver, he could tell that merely a touch affected her as much as it did him. Her tongue flicked out and moistened her lips and her eyelids fluttered shut. When his lips claimed hers, there was no more thought about ranches, school board meetings, or even the kittens.

He broke the kiss and together they gave Ella back her babies while Dammit watched protectively. Then Rhett stood up and extended a hand. She put hers in it and he scooped her up with one arm under her legs and the other around her shoulders. Her head, resting on his chest, felt so right that he could not imagine life without her.

In his bedroom, he shut the door with his boot heel, laid her down gently on his bed, and stretched out beside her. She rolled toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair and bringing his lips back to hers.

“Nothing outside this room matters when I’m in your arms,” she whispered between hot and heavy kisses.

“I know,” he said as he slowly untied the strings of her sundress and trailed kisses down the curve of her bare shoulder, her arm, and to each fingertip. “We’re in our own world where no one else is allowed entrance.”

Her phone rang but she ignored it. “Not even telephones.”

“What telephone?” He grinned.

Her body was familiar, but every time he touched her, it was a brand-new experience, one that dug deeper into his heart and hollowed out a place for more memories and more emotions. Leah had damn sure brought out a side that he’d never realized he had.

* * *

The sex was utterly fantastic like always. She’d completely lost herself in it, and the afterglow was as spectacular as it had always been. In that moment, she realized that Rhett completed her soul. When she couldn’t breathe for panting and sweat covered her whole body, when her pulse was still thumping against her wrist with such force that she feared it would blow a gasket any minute, she looked up to find Rhett staring down at her.

At the same time, without a moment’s hesitation, they both said, “I love you,” in perfect unison. She pulled his face to hers in the sweetest yet most passionate kiss they’d ever shared.

“When did you figure this out?” he asked.

“I think I always knew, but it took a while for me to admit it, even to myself,” she answered.

“Me too. I fell in love with you in the store that first day.”

“Now what?” she asked.

“Now we lie here and be in love for the rest of the afternoon,” he said. “This is our last free Sunday. Next week, Double Shot will belong to me, and I’ll have to work seven days a week until I get on my feet to hire someone.” He rolled over on his back and took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips to kiss the palm before he tucked it inside his.

“I might have to apply for that job,” she said.

“You like to teach better than you like to plow and fix fence, right?”

“I love teaching, Rhett, but I can do anything on a ranch.”

“You should do what you love to do. That’s what makes a person a success, whether he’s a ditchdigger or a bull rider. The way I see it, you’ve got three choices. You can move out of here so you aren’t living in sin, and get your own place somewhere else. I’m sure that Jill will let you have a room at Fiddle Creek until you can find something else. Or you can go back to River Bend. I have no doubt your dad will stand up to Mavis and will give you a place to live, but your granny will treat you like shit because she won.”

She propped up on an elbow and with the other hand, brushed a strand of his dark hair from his forehead. “I don’t like either of those options. Tell me the third one.”

“Marry me and then we won’t be living in sin. They won’t have a leg to stand on and you will keep your job,” he said.

“Rhett, we’ve known each other less than a month,” she said.

“My heart has known you my whole life, Leah Brennan. I’ve been waiting for you to show up in person,” he answered. “You don’t have to answer me right now, darlin’. We’ve got until Thursday.”

“I love you. I trust you. The answer is yes, I will marry you. But, Rhett, that gives us four days to plan a wedding.”

“What all do you need? A dress, a bouquet, and what else?”

“A wedding band and a marriage license,” she answered.

“I’ll get the license, the ring, and the bouquet. You can get the dress and meet me at the courthouse one evening this week.”

“How about Thursday, right after school?” she asked.

“And then we’ll attend the school board meeting together, right?” he asked.

“You are reading my mind, Rhett O’Donnell.”