The Cowboy Takes a Bride. Debra Clopton

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СКАЧАТЬ came here wanting nothing to do with singing or performing. All that boy wants to do is ranch, and find a good woman to build a quiet life with here in Mule Hollow. We’ve respected his wishes all these years.”

      “That’s right,” Esther Mae interjected. “We feel kind of protective of him.”

      Despite what they were saying, Sugar’s adrenaline had started pumping. Two weeks ago, she’d received a rejection for a role in a movie that her agent had thought she was a shoo-in for. It had been the worst day of her life. All the optimism that kept her going had gone up in smoke. The horrible self-defeating voice in the back of her head that she’d been trying to ignore had started up again telling her to lay her dreams down. Lay them down? How could she? And then Haley had called and asked her to take a break and come out to Mule Hollow. At that very moment Sugar had been drowning her sorrows in a bucket of ice cream and watching Paul Newman’s story on the Biography Channel. He’d got noticed by Hollywood while he was in a summer-stock production. Inspiration had hit, and Sugar realized that the tiny Texas town might be just the place God was leading her to go. That it wasn’t God’s voice in her head telling her to forget her dreams. And now here she was, with even more proof that providence had led her here. She smiled from her heart. “Ladies, don’t worry about anything. Just tell me where this perfect barn is and I’ll take care of the rest.”

      First thing tomorrow, she’d go out there and see the place. Then she’d give Ross Denton a call. Yes, indeed, things were looking good.

      Chapter Three

      The sun hadn’t come up yet when Ross walked toward Sam’s Diner the morning after meeting Sugar Rae Lenox. He glanced at the second-story apartment a couple of doors down and wondered if the sliver of light he could see through the curtain meant she was awake. He liked her. Pure and simple. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had caught his interest so completely, and he wasn’t planning to waste any time before getting to know her better.

      Of course, it was too early to go knocking on her door, so he headed on into Sam’s for breakfast. Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t the first customer. Applegate Thornton and Stanley Orr were, as usual, Sam’s first clients of the morning. The two old men were already deep into their morning checkers match. Haley was Applegate’s granddaughter, and Ross didn’t think there had ever been a prouder grandpop. He wondered if App knew Sugar.

      “Mornin’, fellas,” he said, heading toward the counter.

      “What’s good about it?” Applegate grunted, staring at the board.

      “Don’t pay no mind to him,” Stanley told Ross. “He jest has a burr in his saddle this mornin’. ’Cause he’s plain loco.” The last few words were said louder, obviously as a footnote to some conversation they’d been having before Ross walked in.

      Both men usually spoke louder than needed, since they both wore hearing aids. There was an ongoing debate among the local cowboys whether either of them really needed a hearing aid, or whether they were using them as an excuse to talk loud whenever they wanted, and listen in on everyone else’s conversations by pretending they couldn’t hear. That lack of hearing sure seemed convenient at times.

      Applegate frowned, his thin face drooping into its perpetual cascade of wrinkles. “I’m tellin’ ya it works. I saw this woman on one of them late shows last night, and she was tellin’ all kinds of stuff about body language. It made good sense.”

      “It’s all crazy,” Stanley grunted. “You can’t tell me you know just from watchin’ a man pull up his socks that he’s smitten with a gal.”

      “This here highfalutin’ woman said it was true. That and some other stuff.” Applegate looked up as Ross sat down at the counter. “Ross, like I done told Stanley and Sam, this body-language expert said that if a man is talkin’ to a woman and he reaches down to pull up his socks—well, that right thar is a sure ’nuff sign that he’s smitten.”

      “Ross,” Stanley said, pausing to spit a sunflower husk into the spittoon. “You ever reach fer yor socks when you was talkin’ to a female? I never did.”

      Ross wasn’t too sure he wanted to be in the middle of this conversation. “Well, no sir, not that I can remember.”

      Stanley nodded. “See thar? Hogwash. That’s what that is.”

      Applegate scowled and turned red. “You had to see it. That woman made it all sound perfectly legitimate.”

      Ross couldn’t imagine he’d ever feel the need to pull up his socks while talking to a woman, not even yesterday, when he’d been talking to Sugar Rae Lenox. And if ever there was someone who had him “sure ’nuff smitten,” she more than fit the bill.

      Sam came out of the back, snagged a cup and set it down in front of Ross. “Mornin’ to ya, Ross.”

      “Mornin’, Sam.”

      “Those beavers still chawin’ down your trees and damming up your creek?”

      Ross shook his head in disgust. “They can cut down trees faster than a logging crew. I’m heading back out there in a few minutes and I’m afraid to see what else they’ve done. Not only that, I had tractor trouble again yesterday and I didn’t get my hay cut.”

      “That ain’t no good.”

      “No sir, it sure isn’t.”

      The door swung open and Clint Matlock walked in, followed by a handful of other wranglers. Sam snagged five mugs, one on each finger, slapping the first down on the counter as the rancher took a seat beside Ross.

      “How’s it going, Clint?” Sam asked, filling the cup.

      He yawned. “Late night. Thanks for this, Sam. I already drank half a pot at home. But nothing has a kick like your coffee.”

      “That’s my special blend. I stick my ornery finger in the water before I brew it.” Sam arched a bushy brow and grinned, then headed around the counter toward the booth of cowboys.

      Clint chuckled and took a slow swallow and looked sideways at Ross. “Hear you helped our newest resident move in yesterday. Thought I’d warn you that Lacy came home very inspired by the way you were looking at Haley’s new office manager.”

      “I didn’t make any pretense of hiding my interest.”

      “That so?”

      Ross took a drink of his coffee. “Mmm-hmm. I’ve got to go check on those worrisome beavers that are trying to turn my pasture into a lake, then I’m coming back to town to stake my claim on that one.”

      His friend gave him a speculative look. “That sounds promising. You need any help?”

      Ross grinned. “I think I can handle asking a girl out on a date all by myself. But thanks for the support, buddy.”

      Clint shook his head. “I meant do you need any help with the beavers? I’ll let you do your own romancing. Whether Lacy and the other women of Mule Hollow let you alone is a whole other ball game.”

      Ross wasn’t worried. “I don’t plan to give them enough time to get an organized matchmaking plan in order. I’m sure once they see I’m already matching myself up, they’ll sit back and let me alone. They’ve never tried to fix СКАЧАТЬ