Taming A Texas Heartbreaker (Bad Boy Ranch Book 4) Read online

  “What is this?” she asked.

  The phone rang and Mike answered and she watched as he took the information for another reservation. When he was done, he hung up and turned back to her. “The phone has been ringing off the hook for the last hour with people making reservations. I finally asked a woman where she had learned about the boardinghouse and she directed me to Valentine Sterling’s Facebook page where I found a post about a free story he was giving away. This free story.” He clicked over to Valentine’s web page.

  The picture of Valentine on the banner made Reba’s chest hurt and her eyes fill with tears. But they quickly dried with surprise when she read the title beneath the banner.

  “The Ghost of Dixon’s Boardinghouse.”

  “It’s a full story about this house,” Mike said. “I only got to the part about your grandfather marrying his housekeeper before the phone rang and I had to take another reservation, but the story had me hooked.”

  Reba took the mouse and scrolled down through the story, stopping every now again to read a paragraph or two. Mike was right. Valentine had taken her family history and turned it into a captivating, emotional love story. But it was the final two paragraphs that held Reba’s attention the most:

  “It is said that Granny Dovey loved her husband and the home he gave her so much that even in death she refuses to leave it. At night, she wanders through the gardens sprinkling her Cherokee potions on the flowers so whoever smells them will fall as hopelessly in love as she did.

  Having been a guest at the Dixon’s Boardinghouse, I discovered there is a woman there who wanders the gardens by moonlight. If she is real or a ghost, I will never be sure. For as hard as I tried, I was never able to catch her. All I caught was a glimpse of white and a whiff of love.”

  Chapter Twenty

  “I didn’t think we’d ever finish, but damned if we didn’t.” Holden stood back and looked at the barn that he, Logan, Cru, and Val had just finished painting. “Although if I never see the color red again, it will be too soon.”

  Val had to agree. He never wanted to see red again in his life. Especially on a certain woman’s head in a pile of unruly curls. He had been so worried about Reba’s heart getting hurt if they got involved, but she hadn’t acted hurt at all when she kicked him out of the boardinghouse. He was the one who was hurt. And he still felt hurt that she could so easily throw him out of her life like one of her dead flowers.

  “So now that we’ve finished painting, can we get to the real reason you called me and Logan over, Hold?” Cru asked. “Penny wants to stop by Mesquite Springs before we head to the Dixon’s Halloween party. And I’d much rather go skinny dipping with my wife than hang out with you yahoos.”

  “The real reason?” Val asked. “What are you talking about, Cru?”

  “The love bug up your ass.”

  Holden rolled his eyes. “Real smooth, Cru. Real smooth.”

  Val stared at his friends. “I don’t have a love bug up my ass. Where did you get that from?”

  “Lucas seems to think you have a thing for Reba Dixon,” Holden said.

  Logan set the paint roller he held down in the tray. “So does Evie. She wants me to kick your ass for hurting her friend. And if I won’t do it, she plans to.”

  Val stared at him. “Hurting her friend? I didn’t hurt her friend. Reba was the one who kicked me out. After I mowed her lawn and did her dishes and saved her from getting with a youngster who was only after sex, she told me to go back to New York. She doesn’t need me. In fact, she doesn’t need anyone. She can do everything just fine and dandy by herself—even if it kills her.” He threw his paintbrush at the paint can, but it missed and landed on the ground, splattering red paint on Cru’s boot.

  “Dammit, Val. If these weren’t my working boots, I’d kick your butt.” Cru grabbed a nearby rag and wiped off the paint. “For a man who hasn’t been bit by the love bug, you sound pretty pissed off.”

  “He has a point,” Logan said. “If you don’t care about Reba, you wouldn’t be so angry.”

  “Or hangdog looking.” Cru punched him in the arm. “’Fess up, bro, you do have the love bug up your ass.”

  “It is not the love bug!” He yelled. When all his friends just stared at him with knowing looks, he finally gave in. “Fine. I’ve been bitten. Are you happy now?” He took off his cowboy hat and ran a hand through his hair. “I never should’ve come here for peace and quiet. Not only have I been hassled by an ornery woman, but now I’m being hassled by my ornery friends.”

  “We aren’t hassling you,” Holden said. “We just want to know what happened, and if there’s something we can do to help.”

  “There’s nothing to do. She wants me gone. So I’m leaving.”

  “Did you tell her you loved her?”

  “She didn’t give me a chance.”

  Cru laughed. “That’s pure bullshit, Val. You just chickened out. Believe me, I know. I was a big ol’ chicken where love was concerned. Thank God Penny wasn’t.”

  Val opened his mouth to argue, but then closed it again. Cru was right. He had chickened out. He could’ve stopped Reba from walking out by pulling her into his arms and confessing his love. But he’d been scared. Not only that she didn’t return his love, but also scared that she did.

  Love took commitment and action. He couldn’t see Reba leaving her beloved boardinghouse. Nor could he ask her too. The old house was her life. Which meant he was the one who would have to commit to changing his life. And change was scary. Especially for a man who had worked so hard to get where he was. Moving here would be like moving backwards.

  How could he be Valentine Sterling in Simple, Texas?

  Before he could answer the question, a white Ford 150 pulled into the yard. Boomer woke up from his nap and barked the alarm as he scrambled to his feet and charged to the truck. A large man in a tan hat, black tie, white pressed shirt, khaki pants, and spit-polished boots got out. He knelt and greeted the dog before he took off his hat and flashed a grin.

  “I’m lookin’ for the Double Diamond boys. Anyone know where I can find them?”

  “Linc!” Cru hurried over and gave Lincoln a back-thumping hug. “How the hell have you been, man?”

  “From what I hear, not as good as some.” Lincoln glanced at Logan and Holden. “I can believe Cru tied the knot. He never could stay away from the women. But you two confirmed bachelors surprised me.”

  “People change.” Logan shook Lincoln’s hand and pulled him in for a hug. “Good to see you, Linc.”

  “You too.” Lincoln looked at Holden. “You still looking out for the underdog, Hold?”

  “Are you still arresting criminals?”

  “Every chance I get.” Lincoln gave Holden a man-hug before he looked at Val. “Well, if it isn’t the great writer, Valentine Sterling.”

  Val gave him a hug and back slap. “I thought you were too busy to come out.”

  “I realized that I’m always busy. If I didn’t take the opportunity to come visit now, I might not get to see y’all together. I figure a hot shot writer like you won’t stick around for long.”

  Val’s smile slipped. “You’re right. I’ll be heading out tomorrow.”

  “Then I guess it’s a good thing I came now.” He glanced around. “Where are those two ornery cusses?”

  “This is their nap time,” Holden said. “But they’ll be ticked if they hear you showed up and I didn’t wake them. And I want you to meet Devlin too.” He started for the house, but Linc stopped him.

  “Before you get anyone, I think there’s something we need to talk about.” Lincoln looked at Val. “Did you find out anything else about where Sam Sweeney went after he left here?”

  Val shook his head. “I asked around at Cotton-Eyed Joe’s, but the owner didn’t remember him, and none of the bartenders worked there at the time. I did run into Maisy Sweeney and hung out with her most the night, hoping to learn something that might help us locate her father. But she knows even less than we do a
bout him. Which is something I wanted to talk to y’all about. I think we should tell her about her father. I think she’s the type of woman who can handle the truth.”

  Val thought that if anyone would agree, it would be a Texas Ranger. So he was surprised when Lincoln shook his head. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.” He glanced back at the house. “Why don’t we head into the barn so we don’t wake Lucas and Chester?”

  Since they were well away from the house that didn’t seem like a possibility. But after only a quick exchange of looks, they followed Lincoln into the barn with Boomer jumping around their heels. Once inside, they all turned to Lincoln and waited for him to explain. He took his time, as if he were trying to figure out the best way to say what he wanted to say. Lincoln had never been one for words. He was more a man of action. Finally, Cru grew impatient.

  “Well, spit it out, Linc. I’d like to get home to my wife sometime this year.”

  Lincoln shot him an annoyed look before he started talking. “When I did a search on Sam, I discovered he had served some time in prison for armed robbery right before he came to the Double Diamond Ranch.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me,” Logan said. “Or that he failed to mention it to Chester and Lucas.”

  Holden tossed a ball out the barn door for Boomer to chase. “Ex-convicts were required by law to disclose their jail time on job applications. But most figured out quickly that if they wanted a job, they couldn’t be honest.”

  “Sam probably didn’t reveal his prison record to his other bosses either,” Cru said.

  Lincoln hesitated. “He didn’t have any other jobs after the Double Diamond.”

  “What?” Cru stared at him. “How does he live?”

  “I’m not sure he is alive.”

  All the boys exchanged looks before Logan spoke. “You think Sam Sweeney is dead, Linc?”

  “I’ve searched through a lot of data since I talked with Val and I haven’t found one piece of evidence that points to Sam being alive. He hasn’t renewed his driver’s license, bought car insurance, been stopped for a speeding ticket, or filed taxes. After the Double Diamond, he dropped off the face of the earth.”

  “So that’s why Sheriff Willaby showed up,” Val said. “He really does think we’re somehow involved in Sam’s disappearance.”

  “I still think he was pulling a power play. He’s too lazy to do any real research. Which is probably why he didn’t show up here.”

  “Are you going to tell Maisy?”

  “There’s nothing to tell her. At least, not yet. There’s still a chance he could’ve done some crime and is running from the law and living under the radar. Lots of people do it. Until we have a body, there’s no proof he’s dead. But just in case a body shows up, I think it’s best if we don’t spread the news around that Chester threatened to fill Sam full of holes if he ever returned to the Double Diamond.”

  “But he didn’t return,” Cru said. “And all of us are witnesses to that.” He glanced around. “No one saw Sam Sweeney after he left, right?”

  When Cru’s gaze fell on Val, he felt like he was fourteen all over again and struggling to get the cool boys to like him. Maybe he had never stopped feeling like that. Maybe that was why he had spent his entire life trying to prove his coolness by living in the coolest city, driving the coolest cars, traveling to the coolest countries, and writing the coolest thrillers. But he wasn’t cool. He was just a liar. Not only to his friends, but also to himself.

  “Sam came back,” he said.

  The Double Diamond boys exchanged looks before Lincoln spoke. “When?”

  “The next day. Y’all were out herding cattle and I had talked Lucas into letting me muck out the barn because I was scared to death to get back on a horse again. I was cleaning a stall when Sam showed up to get his saddle. I tried to hide, but he saw me. He was pretty pissed off and started yelling about me getting him fired. He grabbed me by the shirt and I got so scared that I blacked out. When I came to, he was gone.”

  Lincoln studied him. “Have you told anyone about this besides us?”

  “Chester knows Sam was here. I didn’t tell him. He just knew.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe he saw Sam coming out of the barn.”

  “Fuck.” Lincoln rubbed his temples. “That’s not good. That’s not good at all.”

  “Oh, come on, Linc,” Cru said. “You can’t honestly think that Chester caught Sam and killed him.”

  “No. As much as he talks, I can’t see Chester killing anyone in cold blood. We all know that. Unfortunately, other people might not see it that way.”

  “He’s right,” Holden said. “Chester has threatened so many people with his shotgun that most of the town is afraid to come out here uninvited.”

  “Then we need to keep what happened on this ranch between us until Linc can figure out what happened to him.” Logan said. “That means no talking to Maisy.”

  “She’s gone,” Val said. “She headed to Abilene for a rodeo.”

  Logan nodded. “Good. I don’t want her coming out here and getting Lucas and Chester to feel sorry for her and say more than they should.” He looked around. “So it’s agreed that we keep our mouths shut about what we discussed here.” He held up his index finger with his other fingers touching his thumb to form a circle. It was the letter D in sign language. Sawyer had taught it to them and they’d used the sign as teens whenever they made a pact. “Double Diamond Pact.”

  Val and Cru followed his lead right away, but Holden and Lincoln took a little longer. Probably because Lincoln and Holden knew the penalties for withholding evidence if this did turn into a criminal case. But their love for Chester won out and they made the sign.

  “Double Diamond Pact,” they all said in unison.

  As they lowered their hands, Holden looked at Val. “Why didn’t you tell me what happened? We were roommates, Val. I thought we shared everything.”

  “I’m sorry. I was already the uncool fat kid. I didn’t want to add scared shitless to my adjectives.”

  “Uncool?” Holden stared at him. “Where did you get that? Not only did you tell amazing ghost stories, but you were also one of the kindest guys I’d ever met. And that kindness helped me get through the most difficult time in my life after my sister died. Yeah, okay, maybe you did look a little nerdy. But you taught me that cool has nothing to do with the outside. It has to do with the inside.”

  “Holden is right,” Logan said. “While the rest of us showed up at the ranch trying to prove we were tough and didn’t care about anyone, you showed up caring about everyone. You were always willing to jump in and help someone finish their job. If we needed encouragement, you were there to give it. If someone was feeling down, you shared one of the cookies or cupcakes your mother sent you. We were all so busy trying to be cool, but you showed us what cool really was, Val.”

  “Hell yeah, you did,” Lincoln said. “And look at you now. You’re cooler than all of us.”

  “I wouldn’t say all of us, “Cru said with a teasing grin. “But you’re pretty damned cool.”

  Val looked around at his friends and wanted to laugh at the irony. He had spent most his life trying to become worthy of being a Double Diamond boy and come to find out he’d been worthy all along. He had a place in this group of men. He wasn’t the somber leader like Logan or the easygoing bad boy like Cru or the sophisticated charmer like Holden or the tough hero like Lincoln or the playful jester like Sawyer. His place was the caring nerd. And there was nothing wrong with that.

  The problem was trying to be something he wasn’t.

  He shook his head. “I’m not cool. It’s all been an act. I’m not this jet-setting playboy. I hate traveling. Flying scares the hell out of me. I have absolutely nothing in common with the models and actresses I’ve dated. And while writing psychological thrillers has paid the bills and then some, I don’t enjoy doing it. Just like I don’t enjoy living in New York City. I have no real friends there and m
y apartment is as cold and uncomfortable as a prison cell.”

  Everyone exchanged surprised glances before Holden spoke. “Umm . . . okay. So what do you want to do?”

  It only took a moment for Val to answer. “I want to be myself.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  It wasn’t easy releasing one dream and chasing after another. Especially when there was a possibility she would be left with no dream at all. Numerous times in the last twenty-four hours, Reba had wanted to give up on the new dream and stick with the old familiar one.

  Fortunately, her grumpy old aunt wouldn’t let her.

  “Make sure you pack your long johns,” Aunt Gertie instructed. “Those New York winters are colder than a tin toilet seat in Alaska.”

  “I don’t have any long johns.” Reba placed a stack of underwear in her suitcase. “And how do you know how cold New York is? You’ve never been out of the state of Texas.”

  “I watch the Today Show and those tourists who come to the show are always all bundled up like they’re freezing their butts off. Why anyone would stand out in the freezing cold for a chance to be on television is beyond me.” Aunt Gertie unbuttoned the cardigan sweater she had on and took it off. “Here, take this. I have plenty.”

  The sweater wouldn’t fit Reba, but she took it anyway. Not only because she didn’t want to be rude, but also because the sweater held the scent of her aunt—arthritis ointment, garden soil, and Butler—and would give her comfort. Aunt Gertie wasn’t the only one who had never been out of the state of Texas. “Thank you, Aunt Gertie. Thanks for the sweater and for allowing me to do this.”

  “I’m not allowing you to do anything. You’re a big girl who can make her own choices. Just like I’m a big girl who will be just fine without you.”

  Reba had always admired her aunt’s strength and independence. But in the last few weeks, Reba had learned that independence wasn’t always a strength. Especially if you thought being independent was doing everything by yourself. Sometimes you needed help.