Her Forever Cowboy Read online

  “About time I got a hug. I heard you were back in town.” She threw her arms around him.

  “Esther Mae, how in the world are you?” he asked. When he was five he’d been squirming to get away at this point. “Is that Hank still treatin’ you right or are you ready to run away with me?”

  Esther Mae giggled and stepped away. She was a tinge of pink herself. “You always were a charmer—you and Wyatt got that direct from the Turner side.”

  “True, but the offer stands.”

  She elbowed him. “My Hank wouldn’t know what to do if I ran away.”

  “I know that’s the truth.” He laughed.

  “Our forty-year wedding anniversary is tomorrow.”

  Norma Sue gave everyone a comical grimace. “You two are sure getting old, Esther Mae.”

  “Hey, don’t try that. You and Roy Don are coming up on forty-three years.”

  “True, but I was a baby when we got married.”

  “So was I.” Esther Mae giggled. “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”

  Cole chuckled and his gaze slid toward Susan. He was startled at the wistful look in her eyes as she stared at Esther Mae.

  “That’s wonderful, Esther Mae. I’m so happy for you two,” she said. “Um, I need to head inside. I told Lacy I’d help her.”

  Cole watched her leave. This evening was good for her. She wasn’t working; she didn’t look tired. On the contrary, she looked fantastic. Yet there was something about her that didn’t seem right. And he couldn’t help but wonder what that something was.

  “Lacy!” Susan entered the kitchen and was relieved to find her friend alone. She’d just finished icing a cake and was running her finger along the rim of the bowl of leftover icing.

  “What’s up, girlfriend? You look like you’ve seen Elvis or something.”

  “I wish! It’s Norma Sue and Esther Mae. I think they’re up to something. I see it in their eyes.”

  Lacy plopped her icing-covered finger into her mouth on her way to the sink with the knife and bowl. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re right on target with that. This afternoon they came into the salon buzzing like bees,” she confided, grimacing. “Cole’s coming home has put a sparkle in their eyes and you know what that means. Adela’s in the back room rocking Dottie’s baby to sleep, but believe me, she’s on the same page with her cohorts. The matchmaking posse is locked and loaded.”

  Susan bit her lip. “Any idea what they’re locked on to?”

  “They’re determined to get Cole to stay home. They’re looking for a match for that hunk of hometown cowboy, convinced falling in love will do the deed.”

  Dread filled Susan. “But he’s not looking to stay.”

  “A man can change his mind.”

  “Well, yes, but he just seems like he loves the road.”

  “The road gets old. Or so they say.” Lacy picked up the cake and beamed at her. The petite blonde’s blue eyes sparkled with mischief. “You worried about something?”

  “N-no. I mean, the man doesn’t mean anything to me.” Susan meant it, too.

  “You two sure sound like y’all have hit it off.”

  “Oh, no, we haven’t.”

  Lacy laughed. “That cowboy had you in his sights the minute he got out of his truck and headed toward this house. And you zeroed in on him just as quickly.”

  “That is so not true. And besides, you weren’t even outside.”

  “Ha! I was looking out the window. The temperature went up twenty degrees.”

  “Lacy Matlock, you better back up right now. Do not put any ideas in the matchmakers’ heads. I’m your basic homebody tied to my job and he lives on a Harley. He and I just don’t compute as a match.”

  “That is just typical Susan Work-and-No-Play Worth,” Lacy practically sang. “I thought you were moving here to have a social life. The gals have that in mind for you, so relax, get to know the guy. Have a little faith.”

  Susan felt hot. Hot as in get-sick hot. Cole Turner—no way.

  No matter how attractive she found Cole Turner he wasn’t the one for her. The risk was too great where he was concerned.

  Faith was good to have, but God didn’t just give people good heads on their shoulders. He put a brain inside, too. If she threw caution to the wind and let the ladies match her with a rolling stone, she’d be crazy.

  She was startled when Lacy sobered and suddenly hugged her.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “You know the gals well enough to know they only want the best for you, right?”

  “I know what’s best for me and it isn’t Cole Turner.”

  Lacy hooted at that and it didn’t make Susan feel very confident as Lacy tugged her toward the door. “You are about the wariest gal I ever saw. It’s time to eat, Susan. But remember that sometimes God does open others’ eyes to things to give us little nudges in the right direction.”

  “I’ve got a great sense of direction and that’s why I’m staying as far away from Cole as I can get while he’s in town.”

  Lacy glanced over her shoulder as she led the way outside. “Whatever you say. But I’ve got a feeling it won’t be that easy.”

  Oh, yes, it would be, Susan thought as she stepped out onto the deck and practically ran into Sam.

  “Just the woman I been lookin’ fer,” he said, grabbing her by the arm. “You still needin’ a contractor?”

  “Yes,” she said, feeling relief just from the enthusiasm she heard in his voice. Getting the work started on her clinic would take some of the pressure off her. “Did you find someone already?”

  “Yup, shor did. Come with me.” He tucked her arm into the crook of his wiry arm and headed across the deck.

  The crowd around Cole had grown and that was the direction Sam was taking her. She studied the group and knew none of them were contractors. “Sam,” she said, slowing her steps.

  “Now, don’t go gettin’ cold feet,” he said, coming to a halt in front of Cole. Cole looked from her to Sam.

  “Cole.” Sam grinned. “Susan has a proposal for ya.”

  Chapter Six

  “A proposal?”

  Cole’s smoky-blue eyes deepened with warm curiosity as he crossed his arms and studied Susan. Unbelievably, for that moment she felt as if she was the only person standing near him. It was as disturbing as the past three minutes had been.

  “Yup,” Sam quipped, pushing Susan forward a step. “Susan’s got the perfect job for you while yor home.”

  Susan wanted to crawl under a rock, but everyone was looking at her. She fought to look calm and collected.

  “And what would that be?” Cole drawled, shifting his weight against the deck railing he was leaning against.

  “Yesterday her contractor left her high and dry when he quit on her. She’s in a bind and needs a good contractor—you’d be perfect for the job.”

  Perfect for the job! Oh, what a nightmare.

  Cole straightened, looking as startled as she felt. “Do you really need some help?” he asked, sounding as if he’d like her to say no.

  She couldn’t say no, not with the whole town listening. “Yes, but I’m sure you wouldn’t have time for something like that. This was Sam’s idea. Sam,” she said, turning her attention to the older man, “he’s here to visit with Seth and Melody before he goes back to work.” There, she’d given him the perfect out. Maybe he’d take the hint and hit the road sooner.

  “Actually—”

  Just the way he drew the word out had her every nerve on full alert as her gaze shot back to meet his.

  “I could come out and take a look.”

  Talk about blowing her plan to stay away from him to smithereens. She couldn’t allow this to happen…and yet she was needed in her clinic.

  “But only if you wanted me to,” he added when she said nothing.

  “That is a great idea,” Lacy called from the back of the crowd. Susan shot her a glare and caught the twinkle of laughter in her eyes.

  “So perfect!�
� exclaimed Esther Mae.

  “No,” Susan blurted out. She couldn’t even consider this. No matter how desperate she was.

  “But it is the perfect solution,” Norma Sue admonished, looking at her as though she was crazy for even considering saying no to the darling of Mule Hollow.

  This was absolutely unbelievable. Her only consolation was that she realized Cole looked as conflicted as she was. That was slightly comforting in an odd sort of way. Slightly.

  “Let him take a look,” Applegate said, stepping out from somewhere in the crowd. She hadn’t even seen him until that moment. “You ain’t never been a fool where business was concerned, so don’t start now.”

  She shot him an indignant glare, no longer able to control her displeasure at this entire idea.

  Cole cocked his head to the side. “You want me to take a look?”

  Boy, was this crazy. “Sure,” she snapped, feeling outnumbered. “If you’ve got the time that would be…fine.”

  “He’s got the time,” Seth said from beside Applegate. “Me and Melody will be glad for him to do anything that will prolong his visit.”

  It was Cole’s turn to aim a quizzical expression at his brother. “You just tell me when and where and I’ll be there to take a gander at what you’ve got.”

  Susan’s heart sank. She took a deep breath and gave a tiny nod. It took all she had to make her chin move down and up.

  “Take him over thar now,” Sam declared. “You don’t need to be hem-hawin’ around. This clinic business needs ta get goin’ as soon as possible and this here barbecue will still be here when y’all get back.”

  “Now?” Susan gasped before she caught herself.

  Cole chuckled. “Sure. Now sounds good to me. Lacy, we’ll be back before the hour is up. Is that okay?”

  “Yep, yep, yep,” she sang in true Lacy fashion. “Take all the time you need. You know my parties just keep going.”

  Susan could only hold in her dismay as Cole stepped forward and took her arm. His fingers were warm and sent tingles dancing across skin as he guided her toward his truck. Suddenly she found herself in the same situation as the night of the accident when he’d taken over…railroaded once more.

  “This is ridicul—”

  “Hold on,” Cole murmured close to her ear as they walked. “This is the easiest way. If you don’t go with the flow, you won’t hear the end of it all night.”

  He was right and she knew it.

  Yes, she was being railroaded all right. But this time it was by the entire town! What in the world was she going to do?

  Cole was trying to ignore the obvious matchmaking endeavor they’d just witnessed as he closed the passenger door to his truck and headed around to his side.

  He climbed in with a quick glance at his passenger then concentrated on getting them on the road and away from prying eyes and calculating minds!

  His friends wanted him back home and it was obvious that this was how they planned to do it. He’d expected to stay in town long enough to make Wyatt drop this sudden interest in his life and well-being. He hadn’t expected this.

  A couple of days was what he’d hoped it would take. Wyatt had said he was going to join him here and he’d planned to leave soon after. But his big brother, in true Wyatt form, had called this afternoon and said it would be Wednesday or Thursday before he could make it to town. His case load was too full and he couldn’t get away. That was almost a week away. So Cole had agreed to stay until then.

  Now oddly enough he was intrigued by the whole aspect of what had just transpired. The fact that he was intrigued and not mad about it was weird. But if Susan was worried about him getting the wrong idea then she didn’t have anything to be concerned about. Nope, intrigued or not, he wasn’t here to fall in love—as it was so obvious his little matchmaking hometown friends were envisioning. Susan could rest easy on that point. He wasn’t lookin’ for love.

  “So your contractor left you hanging?” he asked finally, when she made no attempt at conversation.

  “Yes. He got an offer he couldn’t refuse. Chose to go fishing in Alaska. Some people’s work ethic amazes me.”

  “On that we agree.” Cole shot her an agreeable glance. Even in disasters he was amazed at how men would walk off from jobs and leave folks in the lurch. Folks who’d already suffered enough pain when their houses had been destroyed by acts of God…He knew how they felt in a way. He’d lost Lori due to a lack of action on God’s part—he pushed that out of his head. “Someone with a work ethic like yours would feel that way.” Instantly he felt her eyes drill into him and he decided keeping his eyes on the road was the smart thing.

  “I believe in working hard,” she said. There was a defensive edge in her words. “Being dedicated to what I do. And being there when my clients—who rely on me—need me.”

  “Calm down,” he urged, meeting her glare. “I didn’t say it was a bad thing. I admire your dedication.”

  Two bright spots of pink appeared on her cheeks. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to be so touchy. It’s just, well, not everyone feels that way.”

  They’d reached the crossroads and he pulled the truck to a halt before turning the direction of the clinic. “I’m sure in your business being a bit touchy comes in handy. You probably have to stand your ground.” He caught a flicker of emotion in her eyes that he’d glimpsed momentarily when she’d been exhausted. Vulnerability wasn’t her style but it was there and he knew instinctively that she hated it. Saw it as weakness.

  “Yes, I do,” she said, rubbing her thigh as if the idea worried her.

  The deep sigh that followed the statement seemed to go unnoticed by her and he wondered if she’d even realized she’d done it. He couldn’t help being curious about her. Wondered if there was something in particular that drove her. “It’s this way, right?” he asked, knowing it was, but wanting to give her something else to think about.

  “Yes, about five miles out.”

  He drove as she gave him more detailed directions and related who it had belonged to. All stuff he’d already garnered from Applegate and Stanley. “That’ll be a perfect spot for your business. I guess that place has sat empty for years now?”

  “Yes. I’m excited. But you don’t have to do this.”

  He smiled and meant it. “I know. But I can at least take a look for you.”

  An uncomfortable silence settled between them. He chose not to press. He was a quick study, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that Susan hated to be pressed.

  Tonight he didn’t want to fight. Glancing at her, he realized he wanted to get to know her better. Despite their ability to rub each other the wrong way, they did have a few things in common.

  “There it is,” she said the instant it came into view.

  It had weathered well on the outside; since it was a metal building he’d expected as much. But the rutted drive would need some attention before horse trailers and an abundance of traffic started in on it. “You picked a good spot,” he commented as he pulled to a stop.

  “Thanks. It’s a bit off the beaten path, but so is everything else around here.”

  She opened her door and hopped from the truck before he could say more. He watched her stride to the front door first, then he followed. It was easy to tell she was uncomfortable being in close proximity to him. But she was excited about her place, though she seemed to be downplaying it a bit.

  A sense of challenge overtook him as he moved toward her. Who was Susan Worth? All kinds of questions had been popping up in his head about her lately. What drove her? Why was she so determined to hide the flicker of softness he’d glimpsed briefly both today and the other night? Those and other questions surged, but he pushed them away as he followed. He was here to look at her building…not play fill in the blank with the doc.

  The building was like most of the older metal buildings—white corrugated sheet metal with faded blue trim around the windows and along the roofline. The metal front door was dull gray with no window
and a large dent at the bottom as if it had been kicked.

  There were two large windows on either side of the door, so that would at least let light into what he assumed would be the waiting area. She unlocked the door and led the way into the large open room. In the business of assessing damage and fixing it, for insurance claims or for emergency situations, he was used to walking into buildings and automatically evaluating the situation.

  “Not too bad,” he said, as his gaze took in the cheap paneling in the room. He glanced out the door that led into the back area where oil rig fittings and pipes had once been kept. “At least it has good bones.”

  She tucked her fingers into the fronts of her jeans and rocked onto her toes. “It does, doesn’t it?”

  The excitement in her voice was unmistakable. What was up with that? Was it just to him that she was trying to appear subdued?

  “So what do you want to do in here?”

  “As you can tell, this room is too small and that back area is too big. I need a reception area built and then exam rooms. Also an office and a records area. Plus holding area and surgery. And a dispensary. Something similar to what I have in Ranger.”

  “Good idea. How many exam rooms?”

  “At least two. And I’ll want the surgery to be larger than what I have now.”

  As he’d hoped she would, she began to loosen up, tugging her fingers from her pockets she began using her hands to help describe where and how she wanted things constructed. Moving about the room and out into the back area she elaborated on her vision for the space. He kept his comments to a minimum, only offering suggestions occasionally.

  When she finally finished she spun toward him. “So, that’s about it. I know it’s a lot and my problem is I need it done by the end of the month. My buyer at the Ranger clinic wants to take over the first day of May. I had agreed originally because my contractor assured me it could be done—there was no fishing trip in the picture. Now, I’m not sure. What do you think? Could it be done?”