Buch lesen: «An Heir For The Texan»

One

If Austin Calloway had to hang one more damn holiday light, he’d book a flight to the Bahamas to ring in the New Year.

For the past six Decembers, the D Bar C Ranch—his home, both past and present—had morphed from a South Texas ranch into a fake winter wonderland, all in the name of community involvement. Next week, the chaos would begin with cars lining up to bask in the holiday glow and deliver toys for underprivileged children. As much as he appreciated the cause, he didn’t particularly care for the effort involved in transforming the place, especially while being supervised by two nitpicky female relatives.

After draping the last string on the barbed wire, Austin hopped off the fence flanking the entry and climbed onto the ATV, taking off through the main gate toward temporary freedom. He passed by the family homestead, where his sister-in-law, Paris, sat on the front porch, hands resting on her pregnant belly. He raised his hand in a wave, and grinned when he noticed his brother, Dallas, struggling to set up the inflatable Santa beneath the massive oak while his blond-haired bride cheered him on. But his smile faded fast when he thought about his own failed marriage, and the loneliness that plagued him during the holidays.

Shaking off the self-pity, Austin picked up speed before someone chased him down, namely one of the two self-proclaimed elves now hanging angels on the manicured hedges. As much as he appreciated Maria, the former nanny who’d become his much loved stepmom after the death of his birth mother, and Jenny, the surprise stepmom they’d only learned about six years ago during the reading of his father’s will, he was more than done with the decorating demands.

Once he rounded the corner and reached his own cedar-and-rock house, he pulled into the driveway, shut down the ATV, then slid into the cab of his dual-wheel truck. He backed out and retraced the path he had taken, not bothering to acknowledge the family members standing on the lawn, shooting dagger looks in his direction. He continued toward the safety of the highway as he headed to an atmosphere where he could feel more macho.

A few miles down the road, Austin pulled into the gravel parking lot at the outdoor arena and claimed a spot among all the stock trailers, plagued by past memories of the life he’d left behind. He’d said goodbye to the rodeo circuit several years ago to enter the cutthroat world of car dealerships. Actually, several truck dealerships spanning three states, thanks to the help of his winnings and inheritance. At least he’d succeeded at that endeavor, even if he had failed at his marriage.

Shaking off the regrets, he walked through the entry, nodding at several cowboys, some who had been his competition. He immediately noticed all the young bucks crowded round the catch pens, eyeing him with awe like he was some sort of rodeo god. Those glory days were long gone and only remnants of the memories remained. But at least he’d left some sort of positive legacy to some kids since he’d probably never have any of his own.

He climbed the steps two at a time and slid onto a wooden bench as a spectator, not a participant. That’s when he spotted her rounding the arena—a great-looking filly he knew all too well. A literal blast from his past. She was as flighty as a springtime moth, and as stubborn as a rusty gate. She could bring a man down with the swish of her tail. Austin should know. She’d brought him to his knees on more than one occasion. And even though several years had passed since he’d last seen her, he fondly recalled how she’d always given him a damn good ride.

He shifted slightly as he watched her weave in and out of traffic, black mane flowing behind her in the breeze. She hadn’t lost her spirit, or her skill, or her ability to completely captivate him.

Austin tensed when he noticed a gelding coming toward her, trying his best to buck off the cowboy on his back. If the filly didn’t slow down, move over, an equine wreck was imminent.

No sooner than he’d thought it, it happened. The filly in question went one way, the mare she was riding went the other, and Georgie Romero, his black-maned, flighty, spirited first real girlfriend, ended up on the ground in a heap.

A distant memory from his early childhood shot through Austin’s mind in response. The recollection of his own mother falling from her horse when he’d been too young to comprehend the consequences, or the impending loss. When he’d been too little to understand.

That alone sent him on a sprint toward the arena in an effort to come to this woman’s rescue. He damn sure didn’t want to relive that tragedy.

He hoped like hell this time he wasn’t too late.

* * *

When Georgia May Romero opened her eyes, she sensed a gathering crowd, but a pair of brown boots earned her immediate focus. She then noticed jean-encased legs and two large masculine hands resting casually on bent knees. And next—one very impressive, extremely big...belt buckle.

Clearly she had died and gone to Cowboy Heaven.

Her gaze traveled upward to take in the blue plaid shirt rolled up at the sleeves, revealing arms threaded with masculine veins and, above that, an open collar showing a slight hint of chest hair. She then visually journeyed to a whisker-shaded jaw surrounding a stellar mouth and an average nose with a slight indentation on the bridge. But there was nothing average about the midnight blue eyes. Devilish eyes. Familiar eyes. Surely not.

“You okay, Georgie?”

No, she’d died and gone to Cowgirl Hell.

Shaking off her stupor, Georgie sat up and scrambled to her feet, silently cursing her bad luck and the man standing before her. The only man who could shake her to the core with only a smile. The man who’d changed her life six years ago, and he didn’t even know it. “Where’s my horse?”

He pointed toward the outside of the arena. “Over there, tied to the rail. She’s a little bit shaken but she’s physically fine.”

Only then did she venture another glance at her walking past, Austin Calloway. “Thanks,” she muttered. “She’s a two-year-old and still a little green. I brought her out to get used to the crowds. Obviously she’s not ready for competition.”

He had the gall to grin. “I figured that much when she tossed you on your head. You fell pretty hard.”

Oh, but she had...for him. Ancient history, one she didn’t dare repeat despite this chance meeting.

Chance.

She did a frantic search for the dark-haired, hazel-eyed boy who’d been the love of her life for the past five years, and thankfully spotted him still seated in the stands, holding cowboy court with a host of familiar men laughing at his antics. Andy Acosta, the middle-aged father of five, and horse trainer extraordinaire, sat at Chance’s side. Not only had Andy been a longtime hand on her family’s ranch, he happened to be one of the few people she trusted with her son.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Georgie? No headache or double vision? Broken bones?”

Just a pain in her keister. “I’m fine,” she said as she tore her gaze from her son to Austin and tried to appear calm. Having him learn of her own child’s existence, and the risk of prodding questions, was the last thing she needed at the moment. When she’d made the decision to move back to town to establish her veterinarian practice, she’d known she would have to tell him eventually, but she wanted to prolong that revelation until she’d had more time to prepare. Until she could gauge how he might react. Standing in a busy arena wasn’t an appropriate venue to deliver that bombshell.

“You don’t look fine,” he said. “In fact, you look a little out of it.”

She swept the dirt from her butt with her palms and frowned. “I assure you I’m okay. It’s not the first time I’ve been bucked off.”

He took off his tan felt hat, forked a hand through his golden brown hair, then set it back on his head. “True. I remember that summer you broke your arm when you tried to ride your dad’s stallion.”

Leave it to him to bring that up. “I remember when you broke your nose getting into a fight with Ralphie Jones over Hannah Alvarez.”

He smiled again, throwing her for a mental loop. “Hey, he started it. Besides, I didn’t really like her all that much, and I was young and pretty stupid.”

She’d been the same way at that time, and the price for her naivety had been high—losing her virginity to him. “Look, it’s been nice seeing you again, but I have to go.”

He inclined his head and frowned. “How long are you going to be in town?”

She considered lying but realized he would eventually learn the truth. At least one truth. “Indefinitely.”

He looked shocked, to say the least. “You’re living here now?”

“Yes.”

“How long have you been back?”

She wasn’t in the mood for a barrage of questions, although she did have one of her own. “A couple of weeks. Dallas didn’t tell you?”

He scowled. “No. Dallas doesn’t tell me a damn thing. When did you see him?”

“Actually, he called me after he learned I’ve taken over Doc Gordon’s practice. He asked me if I’d be the vet for the D Bar C, and this new venture you have in the works, although he didn’t exactly explain what that entails other than it involves livestock.”

“We’re calling it Texas Extreme,” he said. “We’re starting a business that caters to people who want the whole cowboy experience. Roping and bull riding and all things rodeo, plus we’re considering a good old-fashioned trail ride.”

Just what the Calloways needed—another business that would pad their pockets even more. “Interesting. I don’t think the ranch house is large enough to accommodate guests and your brothers, so I assume you’re going to put them in the bunkhouse.”

“We’re in the process of building a lodge. And since you’ve been away awhile, you probably don’t know that we’ve all built our own houses. Or at least Dallas, Houston, Tyler, Worth and me. Fort won’t step foot on the place. He basically hates the entire family.”

She recalled how upset Austin had been when he’d learned he had twin brothers, Forth and Worth, and a stepmother in Louisiana, thanks to a bigamist father who’d revealed all after his death. She also remembered how Austin had turned to her following the reading of the will, and his distress that had led to her providing comfort. If only she could forget that night, but she’d been left with a constant, precious reminder.

Georgie sent a sideways glance toward her son, who fortunately didn’t seem interested in her whereabouts. But if she didn’t get away soon, he might notice her and flag her down. Worse still, call her “Mama.” Then she’d have to explain everything. Almost everything. She backed up a couple of steps and hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “I guess I better go now.”

“You aren’t competing in the barrel racing with a more seasoned horse?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Not today.”

He favored her with another sexy grin. “Guess I’ll be heading out, too.”

“But you just got here.” And she’d just given herself away.

His smile faded into a confused look. “How do you know that?”

She studied the dirt at her feet before raising her gaze to his. “I saw you take a seat in the stands.” The distraction had resulted in her lack of concentration in the arena, and the fact that he’d come to her rescue still stunned her.

He hooked both thumbs in his pockets, causing her to glimpse a place no self-respecting mother should notice, and it wasn’t his buckle. “I was only here to escape all the holiday decorating at the ranch,” he said. “If I don’t get back, my stepmom is bound to send out a posse.”

She forced herself to look at his face. “How is Maria?”

“Feisty as ever. How are your folks?”

Georgie didn’t care to broach that topic in detail, and preferred to let Austin assume she still lived at home. That would guarantee he wouldn’t come calling, considering the long-standing feud between both their families, compliments of their competitive fathers. Only one time had a Calloway son entered their abode. Through her bedroom window. She had given Austin everything that night eighteen years ago, including her heart. “Mom and Papa are doing fine,” she said, banishing the bittersweet memories from her mind.

“I’m sure they’re glad to have you back from school. I bet Old George is strutting around like a rooster over his only kid becoming a veterinarian.”

Not so much. Her father was still shamed over having a daughter who’d had a baby out of wedlock, information her family had kept away from the public eye. In fact, she hadn’t spoken to her dad to any degree in years. Luckily her mother hadn’t passed judgment and still supported her when she’d stayed away from the small town and the prospect of gossip. She purposefully lost touch with friends, and now that she’d returned, she’d fortunately been able to find a remote place of her own, even if it was only a rental. But eventually everyone would know about her son because she couldn’t hide out forever, nor did she want to.

When Chance waved, Georgie tried for a third departure. “Well, I better load up and leave before the competition begins.”

A slight span of silence passed before Austin spoke again. “You look real good, Georgie girl.”

So did he. Too good. Otherwise she might scold him for calling her by his pet name. “Thanks. I’ll see you around.”

“You most definitely will.”

Georgie disregarded the comment, turned away and then walked through the gate to retrieve her mare. She lingered there for a few moments and watched Austin leave the arena before seeking out her son. “Let’s go, Chance,” she called as she untied the horse and started down the aisle.

Chance scampered down from the bleachers and came to her side, his face and baseball cap smeared with dirt. “Who was that man, Mama?”

Oh, heavens. She had so hoped he hadn’t noticed. “Austin Calloway.”

“Who is he?”

She kept right on walking as she considered how she should answer. She settled on a partial truth instead of full disclosure as she walked toward her trailer, her baby boy at her side.

“He’s an old friend, sweetie.”

An old friend who’d been her first lover. Her first love. Her one and only heartbreak. But most important, the father of her child.

If or when Austin Calloway learned that she’d been withholding that secret, she could only imagine how he would react—and it wouldn’t be good.

* * *

Austin stormed into the main house to seek out the source of his anger. He found him in the parlor where they’d grown up, his pregnant wife seated in his lap. “I’ve got a bone to pick with you, Dallas.”

Both Dallas and Paris stared at him like he’d grown a third eye, then exchanged a look. “I think I’ll go see if Maria and Jenny need help with dinner,” Paris said as she came to her feet.

Dallas patted her bottom. “Good idea. I can’t feel my legs.”

She frowned and pointed down at her belly. “Hush. This is all your fault, so complaining is not allowed.”

“You sure didn’t complain when I got you that way,” Dallas added with a grin as his wife headed toward the kitchen.

Watching his brother and sister-in-law’s banter didn’t sit well with Austin. “If you’re done mooning over your bride, we need to talk.”

Dallas leaned back on the blue floral sofa that Jenny had brought with her, draped an arm over the back and crossed his boots at his ankles. “Have a seat and say what’s on your mind.”

Austin eyed the brown leather chair but decided he was too restless to claim it. “I don’t want to have a seat.”

“Then stand, dammit. Just get on with it.”

He remained planted in the same spot even though he wanted to pace. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me Georgia Romero was back in town?”

“Georgia’s back in town?” came from the opening to his right.

Austin turned his attention to Maria, his stepmother, mentor and crusader for the truth, and sometimes intruder into conversations. “So he didn’t tell you, either?”

Dallas’s jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed. “I’d forgotten I’d talked to her day before yesterday. Besides, it’s not that big a deal. A drought is a big deal.”

“It’s a big deal to your little brother, mijo,” Maria said as she tightened the band at the end of her long braid. “Austin and Georgia have a special relationship.”

Obviously the family was intent on throwing the past up in his face like prairie dirt. “Had a relationship. That was a long time ago.”

Dallas smirked. “You’d take her back as your girlfriend in a New York minute.”

“You have a girlfriend, sugar?”

Enter the blonde, bouncy second stepmom. The woman Austin’s dad had married without divorcing Maria. Jenny was a good-hearted gossip and that alone made him want to walk right back out the door. Doing so would only prolong the conversation, unfortunately. “No, Jen, I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“He used to have a girlfriend,” Maria added. “Georgia and Austin were real close in high school.”

Jenny laid a dramatic palm on her chest below the string of pearls. “I just love Georgia. Atlanta in the springtime is...”

“Focus, woman,” Maria scolded. “We’re talkin’ about a girl, not a state.”

Jenny lifted her chin. “I know that, Maria. You’re telling me about Austin being joined at the hip to his high school sweetheart, who happens to be named Georgia.”

Dallas chuckled. “You’ve got that ‘joined at the hip’ thing right, Jen, but Austin chased her for years before that joining.”

Austin needed to set this part of the record straight. “I damn sure didn’t chase her.” Much. “She hung around all of us when we were kids. I never paid her any mind back then.”

“Not until she came back from camp that summer after she turned fourteen,” Dallas said.

Man, he hadn’t thought about that in years. She’d returned with a lot of curves that would make many a hormone-ridden guy stand up and take notice. Every part of him. She still had a body that wouldn’t quit, something he’d noticed earlier. Something he wouldn’t soon forget. “Yep, she’d definitely blossomed that summer.”

“You mean she got her boobies,” Jenny chimed in. “Mine came in at twelve. That’s when the boys started chasing me like Louisiana mosquitoes.”

Maria waved a dismissive hand at Jen. “No one wants to know when you reached puberty and how many times you got a love bite.”

Austin didn’t want to continue this bizarre conversation. Luckily Paris showed up to end the weird exchange. “Dinner will be ready in about five minutes.”

Jenny turned her attention to Austin. “Maybe you should invite your special friend to dinner.”

Of all of the stupid ideas—subjecting Georgie to an ongoing conversation about puberty. Then again, he wouldn’t mind sitting across a table from her. He wouldn’t mind her sitting in his lap, either. “It’s late and I’m sure she’s busy.”

Paris perked up like a hound coming upon a rabbit’s scent. “She? So that’s what you were discussing in my absence.”

Dallas pushed off the sofa. “Yeah, and boobies and mosquitoes.”

“Don’t ask, Paris,” Maria stated. “Now you boys wash up while we put the food on the table.”

No way would he subject himself to more talk about his history with Georgie. “I’m not staying for dinner.”

“Suit yourself,” Dallas said. “But you’ll be missing out on Jen’s chicken-fried steak.”

Any other time he would reconsider, but not today. “I’m sure it’ll be great. Before I take off, Dallas, we need to finish our conversation.”

His brother shrugged. “I’m listening.”

When Austin noticed the women still hovering, he added, “In private. Outside.”

Dallas sighed. “Fine. Just make it quick. I’m starving.”

He had every intention of making it quick while getting his point across.

After they walked out the door onto the porch, Austin faced his brother. “Look, I would’ve appreciated you consulting all the brothers before you hired Georgie as the ranch vet.”

Dallas streaked a hand over his jaw. “Actually, I did. Houston doesn’t have a problem with it, and neither does Tyler. Worth doesn’t know about it but he trusts my judgment, unlike you.”

Austin’s ire returned with the force of a tornado. “You consulted them but you didn’t bother to ask me?”

“Majority rules, and I figured you weren’t going to be too keen on the idea after the way you two ended it.”

“What the hell does it matter what happened when we were in high school?”

“I meant six years ago, after the reading of Dad’s will.”

“How did you know we hooked up then?”

“Georgie called me a few months later and asked how she could get in touch with you. By that time you’d already married Abby. When I told her about that, she was upset. In other words, you broke her heart. Again.”

Yeah, he probably had, and he’d never been proud of it. “It was just one night, Dallas, and I didn’t marry Abby until four months later, so I wasn’t cheating on either Georgie or Abby. Besides, I married Abby on a whim.”

“A whim involving a woman you barely knew.”

Only a partial truth. “Not so. I’d known Abby for years. I just didn’t date her on a regular basis.”

“But you did date Georgie at one time, and she’s not the kind of woman to take sex lightly.”

He was inclined to agree but decided not to give Dallas the pleasure of knowing he was right. “Georgie and I agreed no promises, no expectations, the last time we were together.”

“Maybe you didn’t have any expectations, but I suspect she did. She’s always loved you, brother. I wouldn’t be surprised if she still did, although I don’t get why she would after the way you’ve treated her.”

He didn’t welcome his brother’s counsel or condemnation. “You’re a fine one to talk, Dallas. You left a trail of broken hearts all over the country.”

“Yeah, but it only took one woman to set me straight.”

“A woman you married because you wanted to keep control of the ranch.”

Dallas leaned against the porch railing. “In the beginning, that was true. But it didn’t take me long to realize Paris could put an end to my wicked ways.”

He’d thought that about Abby, too, but his ex-wife hadn’t been as sure. In the end, they realized they’d had no choice but to go their separate ways after rushing into a marriage that should never have taken place. “I’m glad for your good fortune, Dallas. But I don’t think that woman exists for me.”

Dallas’s expression turned suddenly serious. “If you open your eyes, you might just see you’ve already found her. In fact, you ran into her today.”

With that, Dallas went back inside, leaving Austin to ponder his words. True, he’d always had a thing for Georgie, but he’d chalked that up to chemistry. And she’d always been a beautiful woman, even during her tomboy phase. But he couldn’t see himself with her permanently. See himself with anyone for that matter.

He’d already wrecked one marriage and he wasn’t going to wreck another. He refused to fail again.

That said, if he and Georgie decided to mutually enjoy each other’s company down the road, he wouldn’t hate it. As long as she understood that he wasn’t in the market for a future.

When it came to Georgia May Romero—and his ever-present attraction to her—keeping his hands to himself would be easier said than done.

* * *

“How’s your first day as the Calloway vet going, Georgie girl?”

Fine...until he’d walked into the main barn dressed in chambray and denim, looking like every gullible girl’s dream. Yet when she decided to accept Dallas’s job offer, she’d known seeing Austin would be a strong possibility. In fact, that had been part of her reasoning to sign on as the resident veterinarian—to size him up, but only when it came to his life, not his looks. However, she was still a bit shaken over their encounter yesterday, and she was bent on ignoring him today.

For that reason, and many more, she continued putting away her equipment in the duffel without looking at him. “I was just vaccinating the pregnant mares.”

“At least we only have four this year, not ten like in years past.”

“True.” Georgie straightened and patted the bay’s muzzle protruding through the rail. “I remember when this one was born, and that had to be fifteen years ago. We’re both getting on up there in age, aren’t we, Rosie? They should really give you a break from the babies.”

Georgie sensed Austin moving toward her before he said, “She keeps churning out prime cattle horses, but hopefully Dallas will decide to retire her from the breeding program after this year.”

“Good, although I’m sure she’ll have no trouble foaling this year. Dallas did ask me to be here when Sunny foals since she’s a maiden mare. I told him I’d try, although horses have given birth without help for centuries. Of course, I expect to have to pull a few calves in the future.”

When he didn’t respond to her rambling, she faced him and met his grin. “Do you find some sort of warped humor in that?”

He braced his hand on the wooden frame and leaned into it, leaving little distance between them. “No. It’s just strange to see you doing your animal doctor thing.”

Boy, did he smell good, like manly soap, as if he’d just walked out of the shower. She imagined him in the shower...with her. Slick, wet bodies and roving hands and... Good grief. “Are you worried I’m not qualified?”

His come-hither expression melted into a frown. “I have no reason to believe you’re not qualified since you went to the best vet college in the country. I guess I’m just used to you riding horses, not giving them shots. It’s going to take a while to adjust to the new you.”

“I’m the same old me, Austin.” And that had never been more apparent than when she continued to react to him on a very carnal level. “Only now I have a career that I’ve talked about since we were climbing trees together.”

He reached out and tucked one side of her hair behind her ear. “Do you remember that one time we were in the tree near the pond on your property? You were twelve at the time, I believe.”

What girl didn’t remember her first kiss, even if it had been innocent and brief? “If you’re referring to that day when you tried to put me in a lip-lock, I definitely recall what happened next.”

His grin returned. “You slugged me.”