His Hometown Cowgirl (3 page)

"Here you go. You can brush Jasmine." Maddie
tossed a brush to Kelsey. "I'm almost finished with Moonshine.
Jasmine's the only one left that needs brushing."

"Alrighty, then." Kelsey let herself into
Jasmine's stall and began brushing the mare's shiny brown coat.
Maddie's favorite rock music blared throughout the barn and both
girls worked in companionable silence for a few minutes.

Maddie reached over to turn down the volume.
"So, what were you and Pete talking so earnestly about this
afternoon?"

"Nothing. I was just thanking him for driving
the tractor today. We really need to look into hiring a driver."
Kelsey frowned as she continued brushing the horse. She loved her
cousins, really she did. Only sometimes they could be royal pains
in the butt nosing into her private life.

Mollie and Maddie had lived on the
Diamondback Ranch ever since their parents had been killed when
they'd been fifteen years old. Besides being their aunt, Grams had
been their guardian, too. After the girls had graduated from
college, they'd wanted to come back to live on the ranch. Grams had
joyfully welcomed their return with open arms.

Kelsey and her cousins lived in Grams' big
house that stood proudly against the backdrop of the Double
Mountains. Kelsey could have lived with her parents and little
sister down the road, but ever since Chris had died, her mom and
dad had been tiptoeing around her and treating her as if she were
as fragile as a piece of fine china. She appreciated their concern,
but it only reminded her of all that she'd lost.

She didn't know why, but with Grams, it was
somehow different. Even though her grandmother had practically
raised her for the first twelve years of her life, she didn't give
Kelsey the kid-glove treatment, and consequently it was all easier
to bear.

And since Molly and Maddie were her business
partners, Kelsey had asked to move in with them much to Grams'
delight. It wasn't exactly a clean break for freedom, but the
arrangement gave Kelsey a little bit of distance, more privacy and
a modicum of independence.

Ruth refused to accept money from any of
them. Hadn't she let her sons live with her rent-free for a while
after they'd grown up? Why in the world would she charge her
precious granddaughter and nieces rent when she hadn't charged her
own sons? Besides, she insisted the girls kept her from being
lonely in the big old rambling ranch house. Plus they kept her from
being bored. She loved to cook and with the girls staying with her,
Ruth got to cook to her heart's desire.

The arrangement had worked out well, so far.
Kelsey, Maddie and Molly were good friends besides being first
cousins once removed. They'd pooled their resources and taken out a
small business loan to launch Farmtime Trails. After making a
detailed five-year business plan, the twins and Kelsey had
presented it to her dad and uncles outlining what they'd envisioned
for a small section of the Diamondback Ranch.

The men had been skeptical at first, but when
Kelsey had pointed out examples where agritourism and agritainment
had added to the bottom line of other ranches and farms, their
interest had been snagged, and they'd listened to what the girls
had to say. After a lengthy discussion, they'd all endorsed the
plan one hundred percent.

The business venture was still in its
infancy, but at the rate they were going, it wouldn't be long
before they could expand their entertainment services to include a
bed and breakfast, a dude ranch, and maybe even accommodate hunters
during the winter months and hunting season.

Expansion would take more venture capital,
and Kelsey was constantly scheming and searching for different
revenue sources. She'd had several promising offers in just the
past couple of weeks.

"It looked to me like there was a lot more
going on between y'all than mere thanks," Maddie said. "Pete
Lafferty is one hot hombre. He's always made my insides quiver. Too
bad he makes it a policy not to date any of us Diamondback Ranch
girls. I must say that he's never looked at me or Molly the way he
looks at you. If he did, I'd melt in a puddle for sure."

Kelsey jerked upright and stared at her
cousin. "What do you mean? How does he look at me?" Was it that
obvious? How long had he been looking at her with more than
affection in his brown eyes? Only recently had she noticed it
herself. Yet it could have been going on a lot longer. She'd been
pushing herself hard with the development and launching of Farmtime
Trails. She'd been trying to make sense of everything, living in a
fog of grief, pasting a smile on her face and feigning a brave
front to disguise the hurt in her heart. Living life, not to the
fullest, but only partially.

Maddie winked. "He looks at you like he
wouldn't mind seeing you naked and in his bed."

"Maddie!"

"What?"

Kelsey brushed the mare's neck, trying to
ignore the trembling of her hand. "I'm not ready to get involved
with anyone yet." Although, the warmth in her belly seemed to
contradict that statement.

Maddie walked around to the other side of
Moonlight and faced her cousin. "Chris is gone, Kels. You need to
move on. God knows, you've grieved long enough. Chris is the one
who died, not you. You need to get on with your life."

Kelsey swallowed a lump in her throat. "I
know that," she said, her voice a whisper. "Don't you think I know
that?"

Maddie brushed Moonlight's flank. "I'm sorry.
I know it's hard. But you're missing out, Kels. Pete looks at you
like he wants to take you home and have his wicked way with you.
Maybe you could take a little walk on the wild side with him."

Kelsey leaned her head against Jasmine's soft
neck. Maddie was a royal pain in the butt, all right. Much more so
than Molly. But both of her cousins had been there for her,
supported her in her shock and grief when Chris had been killed.
Kelsey didn't know how she would have survived without them by her
side.

"Just think about it," Maddie said. "It's
time to let Chris go. Time to experience what life has to offer.
Yes, you were thrown a major curve ball, but you need to shake it
off. You need--"

"Hey, y'all. Aunt Ruth just called." Molly
walked into the barn and stood in the doorway drying her hands on a
dishtowel. "She has supper on the table and it's getting cold. She
tried your phone first, Kels, but couldn't get through. Did you
forget to charge it again?"

"Damn, I must have." Kelsey breathed a sigh
of relief for the interruption. The conversation had been getting a
little too up close and personal for her comfort. Maddie meant
well, but Kelsey knew she wasn't ready to venture onto the dating
scene quite yet. And especially with Pete.

"Just think about what I've said, okay?"
Maddie gave Moonlight a few more energetic strokes of the brush
over the horse's shiny coat.

Molly flung the towel over her shoulder.
"Think about what? What did you say?"

"Nothing." Maddie poured some oats into
Moonlight's food trough and picked up her brush again.

"If y'all are talking secrets, maybe I should
just leave."

"Don't be a moron," Maddie said to her twin.
"You don't have to know every little thing going on around here, do
you?"

When Molly nodded, Maddie sighed. "Okay,
okay. I was just telling Kelsey it's time for her to move on with
her life."

Molly stepped forward and shook her head. Her
dark curls bounced with the movement. "It's not that easy, Maddie.
Kelsey's recovering from a broken heart. You know how it was after
Mama and Daddy died. It's not exactly the same situation, but she's
lost someone she loved very deeply."

"Exactly," Maddie said. "And you remember
what Aunt Ruth told us back then, don't you?"

"Yes." Molly bent to pick up one of the barn
cats that was rubbing against her ankles. "Of course, I do."

Kelsey leaned over to brush Jasmine's rump.
"Oh, God. What did Grams say? Or should I even ask?"

"You tell her, Molly." Maddie continued
brushing Moonlight's shiny coat, a small smile playing on her
lips.

Molly opened her eyes wide and assumed an
innocent pose, holding the cat close to her chest.
"There's a
silver lining in all of this tragedy, my dear precious girls. I
don't know what it is yet, but God never does anything without a
purpose."

Kelsey smiled. "That's Grams all right."

Maddie grinned over Moonshine's shoulder as
she finished brushing the horse's withers. "Gotta love Aunt Ruth. I
don't know if she's figured out that silver lining even now."

"Thank God for her, is all I can say." Molly
let the cat jump back down to the barn floor. "I don't know how we
would have gotten along without her, and that's a fact."

Kelsey stepped out of Jasmine's stall. "Grams
always tells it like
y'all
were the ones who saved her.
Losing her sister like that and living in the big house all
alone--"

"
God truly works in mysterious ways,
"
both twins said in chorus, lovingly mocking their favorite
aunt.

Kelsey laughed. "Don't forget the sniffling
at the end. You know Grams always cries when she tells that
story."

"Oh, that would be too mean, wouldn't it?"
Molly said with a smile.

"We shouldn't make fun of her anyways."
Maddie closed the gate to Moonshine's stall and tossed her brush
into the supply box. "She's so soft-hearted and sweet. Aunt Ruth
is--"

"--truly a dear. A little scatterbrained, but
very dear," Molly said, finishing the sentence for her sister. She
had a habit of doing that. Maddie finished Molly's sentences, too.
Kelsey thought it must come from being a twin. "But what has that
got to do with Kelsey and her broken heart?" Molly asked.

Maddie sighed again. "I swear. You're getting
to be more and more like Aunt Ruth with each passing year."

Molly smiled sweetly. "Thank you."

Maddie shook her head. "I'll tell you what it
means. It's been a year and a half since Chris died. Kelsey
shouldn't consider his death or their love for each other to have
been in vain. She needs to let it go and live life to the fullest.
Chris would have wanted that, Kels. You know he would have."

"I know, I know. I'll try harder, I
promise."

Maddie pointed to Kelsey's left hand. "A good
start would be to stop wearing that engagement ring. It just
encourages you to keep living in the past. You need to start
fresh."

Kelsey looked at the diamond solitaire. It
wasn't large, but it was beautiful and symbolized her and Chris'
love for one another. "I don't know . . ."

"Just think about it, okay? I hate to see you
let life pass you by. You only have so much time here on Earth.
Don't waste it." She hugged Kelsey tight, then stepped back. "Come
on, you two. Let's go eat."

"Y'all go on," Kelsey said. "I'll be there in
a minute."

Molly looked at her in concern. "Are you
sure?"

Kelsey nodded and waited for her cousins to
leave the barn before sitting on a small bale of hay. She held out
her hand and gazed at the ring Chris had given her. She'd worn it
every day since he'd proposed, never taking it off. Tears burned
the corners of her eyes. She sniffed and wiped her nose with the
back of her hand. She'd cried more than enough for the man she'd
been going to marry.

Maddie was right. It was time. Past time.
Maybe that was why her hormones had started wreaking havoc on her
whenever she came in close proximity to Pete. Maybe that's why
she'd begun noticing the heat in his gaze.

Kelsey tugged the ring from her finger and
kissed the pear-shaped solitaire. She held it close to her heart
for a moment, then stuffed it into the pocket of her jeans.

Yes, it was time.

Sunday evening was cool and clear with a
breeze blowing in from the north. Pete sat at a table with a
longneck in his hand, watching Kelsey organize the birthday cake
presentation, the lighting of the candles and the all-important
singing of the birthday song for her grandmother.

The sun had set about an hour ago and the
lights hanging around the dancing platform twinkled brightly. The
old jukebox had been turned off for the birthday celebration.

Back in the day, Pete had been in charge of
the jukebox for all the parties and barbeques at the Diamondback
Ranch. Now, Kelsey's cousin Daniel was responsible for setting up
the jukebox, putting it away, plus whatever else needed doing in
between.

It was hard to believe the boy was already a
freshman at Salt Fork High School. Where the hell had the time
gone? Pete lifted his beer to his lips and took a big swallow of
the frosty brew. Daniel McCade had been Kelsey's very first cousin
born to Cameron and Jessie, delivered by his uncle Dallas in the
front seat of his pickup truck.

Pete smiled and tossed back another drink of
his beer. Dallas still couldn't tell that story without shuddering
from the memories. Hell, Pete would shudder too, if he had to
deliver a baby out in the middle of nowhere. Or anywhere else for
that matter.

"Honey, aren't you going to come over and
sing to Ruth? You don't want to be rude or antisocial." Pete's
mother stood staring down at him, a knowing look in her eye.
Naturally, Pete had never told her about his feelings for Kelsey,
but he had the sneaking suspicion his mom knew those feelings were
a little more than friendly and much more than platonic toward that
particular McCade woman.

Mothers.

"I was about to do just that," he said,
rising from the metal folding chair. "You know I wouldn't do
anything to hurt Mrs. Ruth's feelings." Pete draped his arm around
his mother's shoulders and gave her a hug before leading her across
the floor where they joined the crowd around Ruth, the cake and the
tall stack of gifts.