Her Forever Cowboy Page 6

  “Yes.”

  “Is this something you might really be interested in taking on?” she asked with a mixture of uncertainty and wistfulness all rolled into one sweet expression. His heart twisted remembering a similar expression. “He was right. It is doable,” he said, modulating his tone to hold steady. This was about Susan. “Given, the amount of work we’re looking at it might be tight. I wouldn’t delay getting started for much longer.” He hadn’t answered her question. Did he want to tackle it?

  She frowned. “That’s what I’m afraid of. And there just aren’t that many contractors who want to drive all the way out here to the middle of nowhere. This is cattle country, but there’s not a lot of building going on.”

  Cole had a feeling he was going to live to regret this but he couldn’t leave her hanging. He hadn’t planned on working construction while he was home. Hadn’t planned on staying the four weeks it would take to do this job. “I know I’m the last man you’d want to work with.” Might as well put the truth on the table.

  “Yes.”

  He grinned; he couldn’t stop it. “Most women would have lied on that one.”

  “What would be the use in our situation?” she said. “Be honest, this is the last job you’d want. Working for me, while the town tries to figure out how to keep you here.”

  “Yes,” he answered as bluntly as she had. “That said, I’m still offering my services if you want to take me up on the offer.” There were all kinds of reasons why he wanted to turn tail and hit the road. But he could help her. He could get her into this building on time and get her dreams heading in the right direction.

  The fulfillment of some dreams—other people’s dreams—drove him. God hadn’t given him the chance or the ability to make his own dream come true. His dream of a life with Lori—of seeing Lori survive her cancer—that had all been out of his hands. But other dreams…dreams that had been dashed through the wrath of Mother Nature—God had granted him the ability to revive.

  In doing so, He’d given Cole a reason to keep going. A reason to get up in the mornings.

  Susan looked slightly pensive, unsure about him. He didn’t have to convey to her that the folks of Mule Hollow would be on a matchmaking tear once she agreed.

  She took a deep breath, turned on her heel in a slow swivel as her gaze roamed the office of her dreams. Suddenly she spun back. “When can you start?”

  Chapter Seven

  “Praise the Lord!” Betty exclaimed on Saturday morning. Susan’s receptionist let her half-eaten doughnut hover in front of her mouth as Susan entered the clinic. “You look like you’re back in the land of the living. Got some sleep the past couple of nights?”

  “Sure did,” Susan said, watching as Betty stuffed the rest of the doughnut into her mouth. “You sure you even taste what you’re chewing so fast?”

  Swiping sugar particles from her lips, Betty grinned. “You should be cramming down a few with the crazy busy day you’ve got ahead of you. And I do mean crazy! Your tongue’s goin’ to be dragging before noon!”

  Susan glanced down at the book. It had every slot filled in and then more scribbled into the margins. Betty still insisted on using a paper schedule instead of the computer because she couldn’t fit folks in—and she always had to fit folks in. “Wow, I tell you, Betty. I’m ready for a rest.”

  “I’ve been telling you that you need to slow down. I know your daddy meant well driving you to be a success, but surely he didn’t mean for you to be old before your time. And I know your momma wouldn’t have wanted this. No mother would want her daughter so caught up in work she couldn’t enjoy life.”

  Susan didn’t talk about her mother much, but she had talked with Betty about growing up without a mother. She and her dad had made it, but there had always been that void left by her absence. Knowing her mother had died giving birth to her had made Susan feel horrible growing up. But she’d known her mother loved her dearly. “I know you’re right. Since Dad’s death I’ve been thinking about that a lot.”

  “Good. You need to think about what she’d want and find a husband who’ll give you babies and help you in your business.”

  Susan nodded, hoping such a man was out there for her.

  “So what’s this I hear about the hunky Cole Turner? I take my three days off and come back to a very disturbing situation.”

  “How did you know about Cole?”

  “Me’n George drove to Mule Hollow on Thursday night for all-you-can-eat catfish at Sam’s. Believe me when I say I heard all about your falling asleep and the white-knight rescue. Why, to hear them talk it was straight out of one of them romance novels I read.”

  Susan cringed at being the talk of the town. It came with the territory when one lived in a small town, but to have everything blown out of proportion like this wasn’t good. The reality had hit home at Lacy’s when she’d realized she was now the target of the matchmaking posse. And then, she’d made things worse by giving in to their plans.

  Things could only get worse on that front now that she’d done it. Needing sugar, she picked up a doughnut, but put it back down. “Don’t believe everything you hear,” she said, snatching up the stack of mail and thumbing through it.

  “So what is going on? I heard he’s the wandering brother. Not the lawyer, though from what I hear he flies all over the place, too. What is it with these Turner men?” Betty was talking at the speed of light and didn’t pause after the question. “Only one that knows how to stay put is Seth…You should have snatched that one up but quick,” she huffed. “Not go gettin’ on the back of this Cole’s Harley. Is it true you did that?”

  Susan nodded. “Believe me, I didn’t want to get on the back of that thing, either.”

  The mother hen in Betty was out as she crossed her arms and met Susan’s gaze. She took this job seriously. “Flirting around with a man like that isn’t gonna help you find yourself a husband. That’s why you’re moving to Mule Hollow in the first place. You don’t need to be messing around with someone like this dude. You need a cowboy who is going to hang around. A Harley,” she harrumphed.

  “Boy, aren’t you wound up this morning?” Susan wondered where her first appointment was. It would help everything if they’d arrive and she could get to work.

  “Hey, I’m all for you moving your practice so you can have time to find a husband. But from all accounts this Cole is a good man, but he’s a rover. You need a man who will help you in this business where possible. Someone who will be there for you. You don’t need one off saving the world.”

  Saving the world. Was that what Cole was doing? “You’re right. I agree totally.” True.

  “Then set your priorities right. You have more dating trouble than anyone I’ve ever seen. I love you like a daughter, but we both know you haven’t had much luck picking the right men. It’s time for you to use your head and find someone right.”

  Susan knew she’d made mistakes where men were concerned—the few she’d tried dating. They always never lasted because she had to put her work first. Building a business wasn’t easy. Especially in a man’s world. It caused them to think she was bossy. Bossy! That word ate at her. But it was the fact that she always picked men who couldn’t appreciate her for the person she was or what she did for a living.

  “I’m not falling for the guy, Betty. I didn’t ask him to come back to town. I also didn’t ask him to be the one who found me when I drove off the road. But as much as I hate admitting it, he was there and the situation could have been much worse. And if it had been worse he would have been someone good to be there to help me.”

  Betty looked apologetic. “I know, honey. I can’t argue that he’s not a good man—my goodness, look what he does for a livin’. But he just isn’t the right one for you. You know I worry about you.”

  “Betty, I have this under control.” She glanced at the clock and knew if she was going to break the contracting news she needed to do it soon. “Actually, I need to tell you something before appointments st
art rolling in.”

  “Why is it I suddenly get the idea I ain’t gonna like what you’ve got to say?”

  Susan cleared her throat. “I don’t think you are. But it couldn’t be helped or, believe me, I would have done something different.”

  Betty’s green eyes narrowed.

  Susan gulped—she never gulped! “I hired him to take over the construction on the clinic.”

  Betty whacked the appointment book. “Well, if that just don’t beat all. What were you thinking?”

  “Well, I needed someone and he was available.” Susan’s temper flared. What else did Betty expect her to do?

  “That may be so. But you better be on guard is all I’ve got to say. I’ve said my piece.” She clamped her mouth shut for five seconds. “And further more, if you think I’m gonna smile and make nice when I know what he’s up to—well,” she harrumphed. “Then you better just tell Mr. Cole Turner he don’t need to be comin’ around here, ’cause I’ll put a finger in his chest and back him up to that there door so fast he’ll think a herd of bulls done ran slap over him!”

  What did she think Cole was up to anyway? The man was simply helping her out of a hard situation…and now you’re taking up for the man? “Betty, really, you are overreacting.” She was relieved to see a truck drive up. “It looks like the day is about to begin.”

  Betty grinned as she picked up her pencil and plopped into her chair behind the reception desk. “And ain’t that just lucky for you. I’ll shut up now.”

  “Oh, but I’m certain it’ll only be for a few minutes.” Susan laughed and headed toward her office, still confused about what exactly Betty thought Cole was up to.

  Behind her Betty’s grumble was loud and clear. “You got that right.”

  “So is Wyatt coming to town or what?” Cole asked his brother as he buttered biscuits. He’d squeezed in some time with Seth and his new sister-in-law before heading over to get things rolling at his new job—the job he was still a little startled to have.

  “Your guess is as good as mine,” Seth said as he set a plate of sausage and bacon on the table while Melody finished dishing up the scrambled eggs at the stove. “Didn’t he tell you it would be Wednesday or Thursday?”

  “Yeah, but I’ll believe it when I see it.”

  “Oh, I hope he does,” Melody said. “Seth, did you know he was supposed to be coming home?”

  Seth nodded at her and Cole caught the glimmer of love in his brother’s eyes as they connected with his new wife’s. Cole really was happy for them. His heart still tugged every time he looked at them, but it was a good tug. Wyatt had been wrong when he’d thought he wasn’t happy for them.

  Bittersweet at what he was missing, yes, but overjoyed that God had put them together. God and Wyatt. It was still strange every time he thought of his big brother setting them up.

  Seth started refilling their coffee mugs. “You know how Wyatt likes to run the show. He sounded to me like he had a motive for wanting you back in town, Cole. Any ideas?”

  Cole’s head jerked up at the question. He wasn’t going to tell them that Wyatt was holding his unresolved issues of losing Lori and their happy-ever-after over his head. “I think he wanted me home so I’d get to know my new sister-in-law better. I sort of skipped out on y’all early after the wedding…not that the two of you were noticing anything but each other.”

  “I have to agree with you,” Seth said, setting the coffee carafe back on the burner. “I barely noticed you’d left. Sorry, brother.”

  “Seth, that’s horrible!” Melody looked up sheepishly as Seth dropped a kiss on her cheek. “But,” she squeaked, “it is true. I was so happy to be Mrs. Seth Turner that all I could think about was Seth. We really are glad you came home, though.”

  Cole liked Melody. She was sweet and kind and perfect for Seth. “I am, too,” he said, and meant it. That wasn’t so a week ago. He thought about that as he carried the biscuits to the table. What had changed?

  Seth said the blessing a few moments later and Cole felt a peace in the room as the prayer ended and they tucked in. He’d been working so hard and running, as his brothers knew he was, from the past but Cole was happy for Seth and Melody. It was a precious thing—the joy he saw in their eyes.

  “So,” Seth said after food was dished up and they’d started to munch on bacon and eggs, “I’m still surprised you took on Susan’s remodel. But it’s a good thing.”

  “I know she’ll appreciate it,” Melody said. “She’s about run ragged. We’ve all been so happy that she decided to do this especially after her falling asleep at the wheel.”

  “Stubborn woman,” he grunted before taking a chunk out of a biscuit.

  “She is,” Seth said. “But good as gold and driven. She told me once that she was the success she was because her daddy raised her up to stand on her own two feet. She hasn’t said much but his death hit her hard.”

  Cole let that sink in. She’d lost someone she loved. “She’s a tough one, that’s for sure. I can see where a dad raised her. What about her mom?” Okay, so he was curious.

  “Susan doesn’t talk about her. But once she mentioned that she didn’t remember her.”

  Melody sighed. “I’m hoping she finds a good man. Someone who’ll love her like she deserves and fill the empty holes I believe she fills with her work…I used to do that,” she said, reaching out for Seth’s hand. “And then I met you.”

  Cole took a swig of coffee and tried to ignore the way those words made him feel.

  It seemed he and Susan had more than a few things in common.

  Chapter Eight

  The sun was high in the April afternoon sky as Cole climbed from his truck and headed inside the clinic. From the cattle pens around the back of the building he could hear the low bawl of a few cattle and from inside the clinic, the hectic bark of dogs.

  He opened the door—he’d expected from what she’d told him that it would be busy…he hadn’t expected chaos!

  “Get that dog back—” a pint-size woman yelled from behind the counter as she waved a magazine at a huge shaggy beast of a dog. The owner of the animal was straining to hold the leash while another woman was trying to coax a hissing cat down from the shelf behind the angry woman.

  The dog barked like the echoing of a cannon as Cole closed the door behind him. Cole had made some bad choices in life, but in that instant, walking into the fray had to be at the top of the list. The terrified cat sprang toward him claws out and hit Cole square in the chest—it did not feel good.

  “Hold him!” all the women screamed—as if he needed to hold on to a cat using him as a scratching post. Thankfully, one second the yellow tabby was hooked into his chest and the next it flew to the floor and under a magazine table.

  The overexcited woofer spun. Magazines exploded everywhere as the dog hit the small brown table like a linebacker.

  Cole hadn’t moved, too stunned by what he’d walked into to move. This was crazy, he thought, lunging for the leash in an attempt to save the cat.

  But before he could help the cornered tabby it took charge, reared up and with a terrifying hiss, slapped the bully across the nose.

  Three wide-eyed women flattened against their chair backs clutching their trembling pooches as a new battle threatened.

  Cole stormed across the room, snagged the leash and yanked the dog back just as the fed-up cat launched toward it—

  Cole’s timing couldn’t have been worse.

  He stepped straight into the line of attack as the cat overshot the dog! Cole had turned back into a human scratching post when Susan rushed out of nowhere and threw a sheet over the cat.

  Startled, the terrified cat let go of his arm and Cole watched in shock as Susan disappeared into another room with the secured animal.

  The room went silent.

  Everyone—including the dog at his side—seemed to be holding their breaths.

  “I don’t know who you are,” the pint-sized woman said, breaking the silence. “But, oh
, boy, am I glad to see you.”

  “Not sure I’m glad to be here,” he growled about the time Susan came striding back into the room—without the cat.

  “Betty, please take Sampson into exam room two. You,” she barked the command to Cole. “Come with me, you’re bleeding.”

  He had never been happier to be bossed around in all of his life.

  He gladly turned over the leash to Betty then followed Susan into the exam room.

  Oh, yeah, he was bleeding all right. He left a trail as he went.

  “What was that?” he asked, as she pushed him to sit on the edge of the small animal exam table.

  “I’m not exactly sure. Sampson is just a big puppy and normally a doll. But I’d just given him his shots and he was a little shaken up, I gue—” She stopped speaking and was staring at Cole’s arm in horror. “I’m so sorry you got caught up in it.”

  “It’s okay.” He didn’t want to make her feel any worse. She shook her head and reached for his shredded shirtsleeve. A quick and gentle roll exposed a not-so-pretty sight.

  “I’m not even going to ask if that hurts—I know exactly how it feels.” She leaned closer, her fingers trailing along his arm as she cataloged his injuries. “It doesn’t look like you’ll need stitches.” She looked up and met his gaze.

  “I’m sure you’ve been attacked many times in this line of business,” he said, feeling no pain, only her gentle touch.

  She batted her Mediterranean blues at him and for a moment he was lost in them.

  She suddenly backed up, spun away and began washing her hands at the sink as if realizing she’d forgotten to sanitize before touching him. “It’s a job risk,” she said briskly. “I seem to keep involving you in all my job risks.”

  “True. Maybe we should stop meeting this way.”

  She gave a tiny smile, more grimace than anything. “I agree. No more mishaps from this day forward. Mine or yours.”