Amanda Renee - Home to the Cowboy

“Oh, dear.” Maggie furrowed her brow. “I told people the truth. What’s the big deal?”

“Mom, it’s none of their business.” Tess wouldn’t allow her mother to twist the situation. Truth or not, no one needed the details of what was going on in her life. “Second, I can get a job in New York in a heartbeat. What’s the harm in my taking a little break to regroup?”

Maggie reached for her daughter’s hand and held it in her own. Tess noticed the deep laugh lines in her mother’s face, but there was no laughter there now. She watched her mother anxiously push a strand of chestnut hair out of her eyes as she attempted a smile, looking thinner than she had in recent memory.

“Kay is putting aside whatever this...this thing is between you and Cole and offering you an olive branch for not making it to Joe’s funeral. The least you can do is take it. You’ve put a major strain on your father and my relationship with the Langtrys and you need to set things right.”

If anyone knew how to shame Tess into doing something, it was Maggie. Tess couldn’t blame her mother for being upset when Tess hadn’t exactly been the greatest friend to the family that had treated her like one of their own all her life.

* * *

“YOU DID WHAT?” Cole was blown away by his mother’s revelation after Tess and Maggie left. “How could you hire Tess without consulting with me?”

“Now you know how it feels.” Shane stormed through the kitchen door. “You’re such a pro at doing things yourself, I guess you came by it honestly.”

“Shane, don’t—”

“Don’t what, Cole?” Shane shrugged. “Stand up for my share in Bridle Dance?”

“Stand up all you want but don’t talk about Mom like that.” Cole sat at the table next to Kay. “Why did you bring Tess into this?”

“We need her.” Kay folded her hands around Cole’s. “Look at the corporate websites she’s created. She’s good at what she does and she knows this family. No one can put the personal touches on our marketing campaign like she can.”

“Chase and I won’t agree to this.” Shane strode across the room. “You’re setting yourself up for a big disappointment and then everyone will blame me. Why are you doing this, Mom?”

“Because I’m hoping, by the grace of God, you boys will honor your father’s wishes. This was his dream.”

“A waste of a dream if you ask me.” Shane removed a white porcelain mug off the shagbark hickory cup holder he’d made in Cub Scouts. “Of course, no one gives a hoot what I think.”

“Knock it off, Shane,” Cole said. “Mom’s been through enough and she doesn’t need any more.”

Shane slammed the mug on the counter with such force, Cole was amazed it didn’t shatter.

“We’ve all been through a lot!” Shane was dangerously close to the table. Cole rose to confront him, a breath separating the two men. “I find it laughable that you and our hypocritical, wayward brother, who never cared one iota about this place, are trying to take control. It’s throwing good money after bad and I’ll block you at every turn. I’ve already informed Henry about your continued plans, and as coexecutor of the estate, he’ll make sure the corporate bylaws are enforced.”

“You called Tess’s father?” Kay pushed her way between her sons. “There was no reason to put him in the middle of this, Shane. This is a family dispute and I don’t appreciate you involving him.”

“He has every right to be involved, Mom. Dad made both of you coexecutors so Henry could handle the business side of Bridle Dance and you wouldn’t have to. All I’m doing is keeping him in the loop so he can legally watch out for the ranch’s best interest.” Shane’s expression turned smug. “This is what happens when you continue to move forward with these plans without a majority vote.”

“I really wish the two of you would keep the Daltons away from here.” Cole threw his arms up in defeat.

“Listen, I have no idea what’s been going on with you and Tess, but the Daltons are always welcome in this house,” Kay said. “And whether either of you approves of my hiring Tess, you’ll just have to deal with it, because she’ll be working here with me. You boys may own the ranch, but I own this house and the land, and you’d be wise not to forget it. The Lord’s not the only one who can giveth and taketh away around here.”

Cole shook his head. “Mom, I don’t mean to imply they aren’t welcome. But I don’t think they need to be involved in this—this battle.”

Kay left the room, dismissing her sons with a wave of her hand.

Shane snickered. “Under normal circumstances, I’d pity you for having to tolerate being in the same town as Tess after that stunt in Vegas. But, considering you, Mom and Jesse are trying to force my hand with the ranch, I’m okay with Mom forcing yours with Tess. Payback’s a bitch.”

Cole had had more than enough of the constant bickering over the ranch’s future. It had started the day they elected officers based solely on age and Cole, being the eldest, assumed the role of president. Trying to convince Shane it was nothing more than a title was next to impossible and the power struggle began from that moment forward.

Neither Shane nor Chase appreciated the fact that when Cole retired from the rodeo to take the reins of the expansive ranch, he’d allowed them the extra time to remain active on the circuit.

Cole did have to agree with Shane, however, about their mother hiring Tess without consulting them, even if Tess was the best person for the job. Hopefully she would work remotely, because her close proximity might push him over the edge in more than one way. Just knowing she was back in town was occupying more of his thoughts than he’d believed possible. The woman might be a blessing to his mother, but she was a curse to him.

Chapter Three

The following morning Cole parked his truck in front of the Daltons’ house, debating whether to go inside. Why was he so nervous? He felt like a teenager on his first date. An unannounced visit first thing in the morning might not sit well with them, especially since his mom and Shane had thrust Tess and Henry on opposite ends of the Langtry spectrum. That could easily pit father against daughter if Henry blocked Kay from continuing with the hippotherapy facility and pushed Tess out of another job.

What am I doing? Cole didn’t care if Tess was employed or not and he certainly wasn’t about to let Shane or Chase kill this project. He simply didn’t want outsiders involved in their personal dispute.

Cole laughed to himself. This had gone way past a dispute. It had become an all-out family feud and now the Daltons were smack-dab in the middle of it.

Henry Dalton was the Langtry family’s attorney, although Joe had kept a bevy of legal representatives for a myriad of reasons. The most recent addition was Cole’s old classmate, Jonathan Reese.

Jon had become an unfortunate victim of Joe’s machinations when he inadvertently came between Cole’s brother Jesse and their father before they had a chance to make peace. Good ol’ dad was well-intentioned when he set Jon in motion to block Jesse from buying Double Trouble after the owners died. His plan was meant to force Jesse home to Bridle Dance.

Joe didn’t count on his son taking off in the other direction and accepting a cutting horse trainer position in Abilene. Fortunately, that plan changed when he fell in love with Miranda, Double Trouble’s new owner. And even though Jesse was only a few miles away, Joe wanted his boys home, on family land. But that was their father—a man who stopped at nothing to keep his family together. Ironically, his death had now torn the family in half.

Cole hated the situation his brothers had forced him into, but at the time he’d figured if they wanted to play, he’d toss his Stetson in the ring. He’d immediately retained Jon as his attorney. Since he moved back to town, Jon was a worthy adversary for Henry Dalton, thanks to his involvement in Joe’s constant scheming to keep Jesse on Langtry land and the resulting intimate knowledge he’d gained of Joe’s future plans for the ranch. Through the Daltons’ leaded-glass door, Cole saw Tess and her father eating breakfast at the kitchen table. Maggie’s car wasn’t in the driveway, which he assumed meant she was already at the luncheonette. After a slight hesitation, he rapped on the mahogany frame, not wanting to presumptuously walk in.

“Cole.” Henry wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Since when do you knock around here? Come on in, sit and have something to eat. Tess rustled up a mess of food.”

“Morning, Henry,” Cole said. “I didn’t want to barge in not knowing where things stood with us, especially since my brother has you fighting his battles against me.”

“Nonsense, business is business and this is breakfast. No shoptalk here.”

“You heard my dad,” Tess said. “Sit.”

Tess laid an extra place setting before him and filled a mug with fresh coffee. Her hair was slightly shorter and more tamed than it was yesterday. The length suited her, even though he was used to the long waves she’d had since grade school. The auburn locks graced the nape of her neck, leaving the delicate skin exposed above the edge of her heather-gray sweater.

Shift focus, Cole. She’s the enemy. The enemy in matters of the heart, that is. Even though he hated the thought of his mother hiring Tess, she might prove to be one of his strongest allies. She was a webmistress genius and a master at convincing people to see things her way through her designs. He needed her on his side, no matter how much of his own peace of mind he had to sacrifice.

“Thank you.” Cole helped himself to a spoonful of scrambled eggs, pancakes and some odd-looking baconlike strips. “Everything looks great.”

“It’s low-sodium turkey bacon.” Henry leaned over and whispered to Cole, “Maggie has me on a restricted diet since—well, since the summer.”

“It’s all right, Henry.” Cole understood his meaning. “Since my father died my mom blames herself every day, wondering if her cooking contributed to his heart attack.”

Tess stood beside the table, listening intently while Ricky walked between her ankles in a figure-eight pattern. “I’m sorry, Cole.”

“Stop apologizing.” Cole placed his hand over hers, immediately wishing he hadn’t when he felt the silkiness of her skin. “We’ve asked ourselves the same question. Jesse blames himself for the stress he caused Dad over the years. I wonder if I’d been around more, maybe he would’ve had less of a workload. Then I tell myself Dad had enough money to hire more help if things became too much for him to handle. It’s speculation and we’ll never know. We just have to move on from it.”

Guilt was a hard pill to swallow. Cole talked until he was blue in the face, trying to reassure everyone in his family that his father’s death wasn’t their fault. He wasn’t so sure he believed it himself. Many things should have been handled differently, but regardless of how he felt, he was damn certain he’d finish what his father started. He owed the man that much.

“What brings you by?” Henry asked, breaking the heavy silence.

“I’m afraid you’ll consider it shoptalk.” Cole nervously laughed and leaned down to rub Ricky between the ears.

“Ah.” Henry rose from the table. “In that case, I will leave you two alone. I’ll be late to the office if I don’t get a move on. Thank you for a wonderful breakfast, sweetheart. It’s good to have you home.”

Henry kissed his daughter on the cheek and shook Cole’s hand before he left.