The Cowboy's Claim. Carla Cassidy

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СКАЧАТЬ sighed in relief as he walked into the stable and saw that all the horses were in good shape. It took him only minutes to saddle up his old mount, Diamond, and head to the distant pastures.

      As he rode with the heat of the sun on his shoulders, he finally began to relax, but he couldn’t help the way his thoughts went back to Courtney. He’d been so shocked to see her working in the café.

      As the horse rocked him in the saddle, he thought of the last time they’d been together. It had been hours after he’d learned that his sister had died, and he’d needed Courtney’s warmth, her life force and energy to take away the icy-cold grip of grief.

      When he’d left Grady Gulch on the day of Cherry’s funeral, he had no plans to stay away for as long as he had. It had just happened. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and suddenly two years had passed.

      A hundred times...no, maybe a thousand times in the time he’d been gone, he’d stared at his cell phone and mentally punched in Courtney’s number, just wanting to hear the sound of her voice, to feel some sort of connection with her.

      For months after he’d left Grady Gulch, Courtney had been like the phantom limb of an amputee. But with each day that had passed, it had gotten a little easier to stop himself from contacting her.

      After all, he’d always been her dirty little secret, a walk on the wild side that she’d kept private from everyone in her life. The promises they’d made to each other to love one another forever, to eventually marry and have a family together, had been nothing more than silly fantasies they’d spin in moments of happy delusion and sexual satisfaction. The promises, the love, all of it had never left the abandoned Yates barn.

      She had been the princess of Evanston, and he’d been the bad-boy cowboy from Grady Gulch, never welcomed to her home, never even introduced to her family or friends, but rather hidden in the shadows of the old barn.

      He pushed Diamond a little harder as a slight edge of anger rose up inside him. He’d wanted so much more from Courtney, but she’d been so afraid of what her parents would think, so worried about how the people of her hometown would react if she hooked up with one of the wild Benson brothers who were and always would be nothing more than ranching cowboys.

      Consciously shoving thoughts of Courtney out of his mind, he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the herd of cattle in the distance. Even from this vantage point he could tell they looked healthy and happy. At least Adam had been tending the livestock, even if he hadn’t been tending to himself.

      He turned his horse around and headed back to the house. Adam was still holed up in his bedroom, and Nick didn’t bother trying to get him out.

      The drive from Texas, along with the stress of seeing both Courtney and the neglected house, had exhausted him. He took a long hot shower, and even though it was early, he went to the bedroom that had been his before he’d left town.

      Although his intention was just to rest for a while and then get up and get some work done, he fell into a deep sleep. His dreams were of Courtney and the magical seven months they’d spent together. Laughter, lovemaking and spinning fantasies had filled their time.

      He awoke with the morning light, the faint taste of bitterness and regret in his mouth. He’d known from the beginning that she wasn’t his to keep; there had just been moments in the past when he’d forgotten that fact.

      Adam wasn’t up yet and Nick had a feeling he wouldn’t be for some time, so around seven Nick headed for the Cowboy Café and a hearty breakfast to start his day. As he drove he thought about the dreams he’d had the night before and reminded himself that Courtney was nothing more than a piece of his past.

      It was about seven-fifteen when he pulled into the café parking lot. There were only a few other diners that early in the morning. It took him a quick glance around to see that Courtney wasn’t one of the waitresses working.

      Good. He could eat his breakfast without feeling her animosity toward him, without thoughts of her disturbing his appetite.

      He slid onto a stool at the counter and smiled at Mary, who stood behind it wiping it down with a clean cloth. “Start you off with some coffee, Nick?”

      “Sounds perfect,” he replied and watched as she set the cleaning cloth aside, washed her hands in the sink and then poured him a cup of the fragrant fresh brew.

      “How was the homecoming?” she asked. Mary Mathis was an attractive woman with blond hair and clear blue eyes. She had a ten-year-old son named Matt, who was obviously her heart. He’d never heard of her dating anyone, even though she was a widow who had shown up in town eight years ago.

      “A bit tense,” he admitted. “The house was a mess, but I think my brother is a bigger mess.”

      “One way or another, things will eventually straighten themselves out. They always do,” she said with her usual optimism. “At least you’re home now and can maybe help Adam find his way back to the land of the living.”

      “He definitely hasn’t shown any signs of being alive or even wanting to resurface since I arrived,” Nick replied drily.

      “He’s a strong man. He’s just lost his way a little bit. This thing with Sam definitely shook him up. Now, what can I get you for breakfast?”

      Nick ordered the classic café combo of eggs, bacon and a buttermilk biscuit, and a stack of pancakes on the side. He figured he would need all the fuel he could handle to then head back to the ranch and start figuring things out. The ranch needed work and somehow he had to get Adam’s head back in the game of life.

      He was halfway through his meal when George Wilton came in and slid onto the stool next to him at the counter. “About time you came home,” he said to Nick. “Your family is falling apart.”

      “So I’ve heard.”

      “Are you home to stay?”

      “Doubtful,” Nick said truthfully. “Although I imagine I’ll be here through the fall.”

      “Rumor has it you’ve been working in Texas.”

      “The rumor is true.” Nick knifed butter over his pancakes as Mary approached to get George’s order.

      “Speaking of rumors, I just heard that another waitress from the café was murdered last night,” the old man said. Both Mary and Nick stared at him. “I can guess by the look on your faces that the sheriff hasn’t been in here yet this morning.”

      “Who?” The single word yanked from Nick’s throat with a hoarse despair. “Who was murdered?”

      “I don’t know. The sheriff didn’t reveal her name. I just met him as I was leaving my house.”

      Nick looked at Mary, whose face had blanched of all color. “Is Courtney here now?”

      She shook her head. “She works a short shift today, noon to five. I’ve got five waitresses who aren’t in.”

      That made it five to one that the murdered waitress could be Courtney. Nick’s heart banged hard, leaving him half-breathless with fear.

      At that moment Sheriff Cameron Evans walked through the door. His stern features softened as he looked at Mary. “I guess you’ve heard. We have another one.”

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