One Texas Cowboy Too Many (Burnt Boot, Texas) (3 page)

“I’ll have a double shot of Jack on the rocks, so the answer is no. I don’t think angels drink whiskey, but it is a fine line,” she answered.

“So you are a Tennessee whiskey lady?” he asked.

“Tonight I am,” she said.

A tall, blond-haired cowboy with blue eyes propped a hip on the bar stool beside her and nodded. “Hello, Leah.”

She nodded. “Tanner.”

“I guess you’re the new O’Donnell in Burnt Boot. Brett, is it?” Tanner eyed Rhett like he was trash left on the curb.

“Not Brett. My name is Rhett, after the hero in
Gone with the Wind
. My mama loves that book,” Rhett corrected him.

“Well then, hero Rhett, we need two more pitchers of beer over at our table.”

“Be right with you. And you’d be?”

“Tanner Gallagher of Wild Horse. Betsy’s cousin. If you’ve got any notion of asking her out, don’t. Granny wouldn’t like that.”

“And if I didn’t have any thought of asking her out?” Rhett set Leah’s whiskey in front of her on a white paper coaster.

“Then you’re probably crazy or gay. Which one is it?” Tanner asked.

“I like women.” Rhett grinned. “As for the crazy, that’s debatable. Some folks would agree with you, but no one has been brave enough or big enough to have me committed yet.”

“Smart-ass, are you?” Tanner asked.

Rhett filled two pitchers with beer and set them on the counter. Tanner handed him a bill and Rhett made change.

“You didn’t answer me. Are you a smart-ass, or do you back up your words with actions?” Tanner pushed the issue.

“No, I didn’t answer you.”

Tanner picked up the pitchers. “Are you going to?”

“Not today.”

“You don’t like us Gallaghers?”

Rhett picked up a bar rag and wiped down the bar where the pitchers had been. “Don’t know you Gallaghers.”

Tanner raised his voice loud enough so that everyone in the area could hear him. “Well, we know your kind, and we’d be happy to see you ride that motorcycle on back to where you came from.”

“What is my kind?” Rhett asked.

“Tanner, stop being a jackass and go talk to your little buddies,” Leah said.

Tanner scowled. “So the Brennans are going to take in this stray coyote?”

“Whether we do or not is none of your business, but you don’t have to be rude,” Leah answered.

“I thought you were different from the rest of them,” Tanner said.

“I thought you were different from the rest of the Gallaghers,” she shot back.

“Guess you really can’t change a leopard’s spots,” he said as he walked away.

“Or a skunk’s stripes,” she mumbled.

Rhett filled the beer pitchers, collected the money, and then moved down the bar to Leah again. “That line about the skunk’s stripes was far better than mine. The way he looked at you when he sat down, I thought maybe y’all were a couple, but I guess you aren’t?” Rhett asked.

“Tanner? He’s a Gallagher,” Leah said.

“And Gallaghers and Brennans don’t play well together, right?”

Leah sipped her whiskey. “That would be an understatement.”

“Then we won’t talk about it. So, you are a schoolteacher. What do you do in the summertime?”

“Help out on the Brennan ranch, River Bend. Not that I actually do much ranchin’. Mostly, I take care of the book work for Granny and help with the garden some. I like to cook, so I do some cannin’ while the garden is producing and when the fruit ripens in the orchard.”

“When does school start back?”

“Pretty soon. We don’t have to adhere to the state-mandated rules, since we’re a private school, so we usually start classes in August.”

“Private school?”

“The Brennans have a school on River Bend. The Gallaghers have one on Wild Horse. Then there’s the public school right here in Burnt Boot,” she explained.

“Hey, Rhett, darlin’.” Honey popped up on a bar stool at the other end and yelled over the loud music, “We need two more pitchers of beer.”

Leah threw back the last of her whiskey and slid off the stool. “See you around. Maybe in church on Sunday?”

“You going to be there?”

She nodded.

“Then I’ll be there.”

It was dusk on Saturday night when Rhett rushed back to the bunkhouse to clean up after he and the summer crew of high school boys had replaced fence all day. It involved getting the posts set, stringing barbed wire, then removing the old, rusty wire from the decaying wooden posts and pulling them out of the hard dirt. Lots of sweat, a fair amount of cussin’, and a ton of energy went into the job, so he was already tired when he stepped into the shower. The cool water felt good on his body and he had to admit, he did smell a lot nicer afterward.

“Thank goodness,” he murmured as he wrapped a towel around his body, “Jill and Sawyer are willing to share their bathroom with me. I sure wasn’t in the mood to run a tub of water tonight in my bathroom.”

He pulled his wet hair back into a ponytail and seriously considered getting it buzzed off the next week.

“What do you think, Dammit? Ponytail or buzz cut?” he asked his dog as he crossed the living room floor.

The old hound looked up from the sofa and yipped, his tail beating out a tune on the cushions and both cats crouching to spring on it.

“Ponytail it is, then. Are you sure?” Rhett stopped long enough to scratch his ears.

Another yip and both of Jill’s cats jumped at the same time. Dammit growled at them, and they retreated to the corner of the sofa. There were some things that a dog did not tolerate, and clawing his tail was one of them.

“So you think Leah likes my ponytail, do you? You think maybe she’s got a wild streak down under all that sweetness?” Rhett asked.

Dammit’s tail did double time.

“The tail has spoken. I’ll leave it alone. See you later tonight. Guard the place and don’t let any varmints in the door.” He scratched the dog’s ears again and headed outside into the blistering-hot summer heat.

He made it to the bar a few minutes before six, parked his truck beside Sawyer’s, and hated to step outside in the heat. The thermometer on the porch post had read 110 degrees when he left the bunkhouse. He inhaled deeply to get one more lungful of cool air and slung open the door. Music and smoke met him head-on when he entered the bar.

“I thought they outlawed smoking in public places,” he said.

“Not in Burnt Boot, but I hear it might happen before the end of this year.” Jill smiled. “It’ll be busy tonight, so you man the drinks. I’ll take care of money and Sawyer can cook.”

“I’ll help him when I’m not drawing beer or pouring whiskey.” Rhett quickly scanned the few people already in the bar but didn’t see Leah, or any Brennans for that matter.

“This is Saturday night. It’s a hell of a lot different than any weeknight,” Sawyer said. “And with this heat, there will be tempers flaring. Gladys said that she heard there’s gossip about something going down with the feud, so that’ll bring in more people.”

Rhett rolled up his sleeves and slung a bar rag over his shoulder. “At least it’s cool in here. I swear those boys and I were about to melt plumb away out there in the heat today. Now tell me why the feud has anything to do with the bar.”

Jill removed pitchers from the dishwasher and refilled it. “Because this is more than a place to get a beer and dance. It’s the local gossip place. Think of the church, the general store, and the bar as Switzerland. Those are the three places that the feud has to be left at the door.”

Sawyer took three heads of lettuce from the small refrigerator in the corner. He plopped them down hard on a cutting board and pulled their cores out, filled them with water at the bar sink, and then turned them over to drain.

“What’s that all about?” Rhett asked.

“I’ll put them in plastic bags and back into the fridge. That keeps the lettuce crispy. This place has a reputation for the best bacon cheeseburgers in the whole state,” Sawyer explained.

The sound of truck engines out in the parking lot and doors slamming preceded a dozen Brennan cowboys into the bar. One stopped at the bar and the rest went back to push two tables together to claim the far corner as Brennan territory.

“We need twenty cups and four pitchers of Coors,” the cowboy said.

“Little thirsty, are you?” Rhett smiled.

“Whole lot thirsty and got a lot of talkin’ to do. I’m Declan, and we’re all from River Bend.”

Rhett set two full pitchers on the bar and went back to fill two more. “Pleased to meet y’all. I’m Rhett from Fiddle Creek.”

“We’ve heard about you. Leah says the Gallaghers don’t like you too much,” Declan said.

“Wouldn’t know about that and could care less about it,” Rhett said.

“Just so we’re straight. The Brennans don’t like you either. And this is your only warning to stay away from the Brennan women.”

“Same answer. Don’t care much if you do or don’t like me,” Rhett said.

“Why are you being so rude? And why does he have to stay away from the Brennan women?” Jill asked.

“He’s not Burnt Boot material, much less River Bend material,” Declan said.

“What kind of material is that? He’s my cousin and no one ever told me I wasn’t Burnt Boot material,” Sawyer asked.

Hot air pushed Gallaghers into the bar before Declan could answer. He picked up two pitchers and headed to the back. When he returned for the rest of his order, he brought a couple of Brennans with him. Rhett wondered if it was for protection from the Gallaghers or to show him a force that said he should listen to their warnings about staying away from their womenfolk.

“Four pitchers of Coors.” Tanner hiked a hip on a bar stool and ignored the Brennans. “And a dozen bacon cheeseburger baskets. Double meat and cheese. And two pitchers of margaritas and one of piña coladas.”

“Yep.” Rhett repeated back the order.

Jill made change for the bills Tanner handed her. “Remember to keep it civil, Tanner. Watch your mouth and don’t start anything, or I’ll take out the shotgun that’s right here at my knees.”

Tanner laughed out loud. “I do like a woman with spunk. See y’all later. And holler right loud when the burgers are done.”

“What happened that they are all up in arms about you, Rhett?” Jill asked.

“Tanner Gallagher has a thing for Leah. It’s in his eyes every time he looks at her. I expect that would really set off the feud, so he’s not doing anything about the attraction. I’m damn sure not interested in being mixed up in their battles, so they don’t have to worry about me.”

“If you’re talking to Leah, you’re already mixed up in it.” Sawyer set six red plastic baskets with burgers and fries in each on the bar and yelled, “Tanner Gallagher.”

Leah slipped inside and Rhett’s heart threw in an extra beat. She looked beautiful in those tight jeans, boots, and an orange tank top tucked down behind a belt with a big rhinestone buckle. Tanner gave her the once-over as he crossed the floor and stacked baskets of burgers up his arm like a seasoned waiter. Rhett almost felt sorry for the guy. There sat the woman he loved, and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it because of the family feud.

“I’ll be back for the rest,” Tanner said.

“Bring someone with you. The others are almost finished,” Sawyer said.

“What can I get you, Miz Leah?” Rhett’s eyes were drawn to hers. His hands itched to run the back of his knuckles down her cheekbones before he kissed those full lips.

“I’d like a burger basket. No onions and double fries. A plain Coke this time around, but afterwards I’ll want a double shot of Jack.” Leah smiled.

“You got it,” Rhett said as he filled a red plastic cup with ice and drew up a Coke. “Been busy today?”

She took a sip. “Yes, I have. I went to the school and took down all my old bulletin board stuff, put up new, arranged the seats, and got ready for the new school year.”

“What grade do you teach?”

“Fourth,” Leah said.

He shook his head. “Who’d have thought about a town this small having three schools?”

“Crazy, isn’t it? But our private school has more kids than the Burnt Boot public school,” Leah said.

“Tanner Gallagher, last three,” Sawyer yelled above the jukebox.

Tanner came to the bar to claim them, and this time, he looked at Leah in the mirror above the grill and said, “Hot today, ain’t it?”

“Sure is.” Leah nodded at him, but neither of them ever looked directly at each other.

Was the man crazy or just plain stupid? Leah had been right there in front of him his whole life and the only thing holding them apart was a crazy feud? If that had been Rhett, he would have told the feud to go straight to hell and he’d have gone after the woman he loved.

The next time the door opened, several couples made their way to the bar stools. A woman hopped up on the one right next to Leah and asked, “You from around here?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Burgers any good?”

“Best in Texas,” Leah answered.

“Then give us a dozen of your biggest, best baskets,” the woman told Jill. “We heard this was a good place to get some supper, dance awhile, and have a few beers.”

“Where y’all from?”

“Up around Terral, Oklahoma. We’re out ridin’ our motorcycles for the weekend. We rode down to the Fort Worth Stockyards this morning and we’re on our way home. Thought we’d stop by here and have some fun and then go on home when it gets a little cooler.”

“Have fun?” Leah asked.

“Hell, yeah, but not as much fun as we’ll have here. We love to dance,” the woman said. “Hey, bartender, we’ll have six pitchers of beer.”

“Who’s your designated driver?” Leah laughed.

“Honey, we don’t need one. Ain’t a one amongst us that can’t hold their liquor. You here to flirt with the bartender?” the woman asked Leah.

Leah blushed. “No, ma’am.”

“You crazy. I don’t see a weddin’ ring, and he’s one hot-lookin’ cowboy.”

Rhett pulled up pitchers of beer and strained his ears to hear the conversation. It had been years since he’d seen a woman blush. He liked it—a lot.

The woman cackled. “Darlin’, I’m over sixty, and once you hit that magical age, you can say anything you want and get into anyone’s business, and everyone chalks it up to bein’ old. You have a good time tonight. Tell that sexy cook to holler out ‘Williams’ when our burgers are done.”

* * *

Leah took her burger basket and Coke back to the Brennan table and sat down beside Honey, making sure her chair was in a position that allowed her to catch glimpses of both Tanner and Rhett.

Honey pilfered a French fry and popped it in her mouth. “You’d best stop flirting with Rhett. Granny says he’s trouble. He’s a sexy hunk, darlin’ Cousin, but I wouldn’t go against Granny for a night in a five-star hotel with Adam Levine.”

“Why does Granny think he’s trouble?” Leah asked.

“It’s the motorcycle and the ponytail,” Kinsey answered while Honey stole another fry.

“So? He’s a rancher,” Leah said.

“She’s made her decision, Leah. Neither Kinsey nor I would take her on in a real battle, and you’re not as tough as either one of us,” Honey said.

“He’s Sawyer’s cousin and she didn’t have a bit of problem with either of y’all tryin’ to run him to ground,” Leah argued.

“That had a purpose. If we took Sawyer out of the picture, then Jill might have hooked up with Quaid, and we would have inherited Fiddle Creek and all those wonderful water rights with her.”

“Then maybe I’ll go after Tanner Gallagher,” Leah whispered.

“Good God almighty damn.” Honey’s eyes came close to popping out of her head and rolling across the dance floor like marbles. “She’ll put your sorry ass in a convent. What’s gotten into you, anyway? You’ve always been the good child.”

“It’s this hot Texas sun that’s fryin’ the good sense right out of her head, Honey. She needs a vacation to New York City to shop. It’s a good thing we’ve got one planned here pretty soon,” Kinsey said.

Honey sighed. “In some ways, I’m glad we’re going to New York City. In other ways, I’m going to miss lying out there on all that pretty white sand at the beach.”

Kinsey sipped at her beer. “Our sweet cousin needs to spend time in retail therapy, not frying more brain cells. Y’all can thank me later for choosing a spot for our annual girl’s week away from Burnt Boot that has air-conditioned shopping on the agenda every single day.”

“Maybe enough of my brain cells got fried that the good girl is about to go bad,” Leah said.

“You can be as badass as you want, Cousin, but it had best not be with a Gallagher or with Rhett or with Granny. Rhett’s not the settlin’ type. Granny said so and she’s never wrong.”

“Granny hasn’t even met him,” Leah argued.

“Like Honey said, you don’t argue with Granny,” Kinsey said.

Leah pushed her burger toward Honey. “Help me eat this. I’m not as hungry as I thought I was. And why isn’t Rhett the settlin’ type?”

“If you hadn’t had your head stuck in the classroom all these years, you’d know what to look for, trust me. That man is a player. He’ll sweet-talk you into bed, and then you’ll never hear from him again. It’s a game with a cowboy like him.” Honey picked up the burger and took a bite.

“What if I don’t want to settle down? What if I only want a romp in the sheets with him or maybe with him and Tanner both? Not at the same time, but maybe a few times with Rhett and then a few times with Tanner, to see which one I like best?” Leah asked.

“How much Jack did you drink before you left home?” Honey gasped.

Leah motioned toward her lips. “You’ve got lettuce between your two front teeth.”

Honey grabbed her purse from the floor beside her chair, found a small compact, and checked her reflection. Even in the dim light and the smoke-filled bar, she could easily see the bit of green stuck there. She flicked it out with a fingernail and ran her tongue over perfectly even teeth.

“All gone,” Leah said. “Look who walked in the door. Isn’t that the lawyer that you’ve been seeing, Kinsey? And who is that with him?”

“That would be my date for tonight.” Honey blew her a kiss as she and Kinsey hurried across the floor, and Leah watched the four of them head on out of the bar.

Leah left the rest of her food on the table and claimed a bar stool as far away from the door as possible. Since Rhett had roared into town on that big cycle, she’d felt like a big storm was approaching. She’d even dreamed of a tornado the night before. It had come up from the southeast and the funnel cloud had set down right in Burnt Boot. When it moved across the river, it had taken the school where she taught with it, leaving nothing but the foundation of the frame building. Burnt Boot had seen some ice storms that broke down trees and power lines. It had lived though some ferocious wind, lightning, and thunderstorms, but in its history, not one tornado had touched down there.