The Cowboy Takes a Bride (23 page)

They talked to Mariah about Dutch. Sang his praises. Told her how wonderful her father had been. Mariah pasted a smile on her face, nodded. It was nice of them to throw her a party, but she felt out of step with the crowd. She was an exile in the land of cutting horse people. The talk swirled and swayed over her head. Cutter’s cross, cutter’s slump, cutting for shape. Deep cut, draw, dry work. Hot quit, herd holder, leak. Sticky, time line, turn-back horse. Stay hooked.

“Cool boots,” said a pregnant woman sitting at the end of the buffet table. She had hair the color of gingersnaps.

“Thanks.” Mariah wriggled her toes.

“I can’t wear boots anymore. My feet swell. These puppies could out sponge a sponge.” She lifted her feet, revealing that she was wearing a pair of decorative flip-flops.

“I’m still getting used to the feel of cowboy boots. They’re . . . um . . . different.”

“You’re adapting quickly. It took me a lot longer to get accustomed to the cowboy way of life. My name is Lissette Moncrief, by the way.” The woman patted the bottom of the chair beside her. “Have a seat.”

Mariah liked her instantly and settled into the chair. “You’re not from Jubilee?”

“Dallas,” she said, and gave Mariah a little wink. “I understand the culture shock of coming from a big city to Cutterville. It’s like stepping back in time.”

Mariah laughed. “How’d you end up here?”

Lissette placed a hand around her rounded belly. “My husband, Jake. He convinced me Jubilee was a better place to raise kids. He’s from here.”

“What does Jake do?” Mariah asked.

“Once upon a time, he was a cutter.” Lissette’s face clouded, her mouth thinned, and her blue eyes took on a faraway expression. “But now he’s a soldier. He’s in Afghanistan.”

“Will he be home in time for the baby’s birth?”

A small smile played at the corners of Lissette’s mouth. “That’s the plan.”

“Do you know what you are having?”

“A boy. Jake is so proud.”

“It must be tough on you with Jake being out of the country.”

Lissette nodded. “But at least I have the co-op.” She waved at the people gathered around them. “They’ve all been so good to me. I feel like I’m never alone. They keep me sane.”

“That must be a nice feeling.”

“But this bunch does take some getting used to,” Lissette admitted. “They’re a town of eccentrics.”

“Eccentrics?” Mariah raked her gaze over a cowboy who had two fingers pressed to the side of his head and was leaning over, pawing the ground, imitating a bull as he expounded on the cutting horse story he was telling.

“Okay.” Lissette smiled. “Cutting-horse-obsessed kooks. But goodhearted cutting-horse-obsessed kooks.”

“Do you work outside the home?” Mariah asked.

“I used to,” Lissette said. “I’m a pastry chef and I worked for the largest wedding caterer in Dallas.”

“Really?” Excitement shot through her. At last. Someone in Jubilee she had something in common with. She almost asked Lissette if she’d be interested in a job working for her as a caterer, but then she remembered Nancy Hickok had put a quietus on that dream.

“Now all I do is sit around and watch my feet swell. Doctor’s orders.”

“Sounds very weighty.”

Lissette groaned, laughed. “You have no idea, but I made the petits fours. What do you think?”

Mariah bit into one of the little cakes on her plate, moaned with pleasure at the taste of rich dark chocolate with raspberry frosting. “Divine.”

“I think it’s why Jake married me. Key to a man’s heart is through his stomach and all that.”

“If that’s the key to a man’s heart, then I’m in trouble,” Mariah confessed. “I burn water.”

“So what do you do?” Lissette asked.

Mariah told her.

“Wedding planner, hmm. We could use one of those around here.”

“My thoughts exactly, but I can’t get a small business loan,” Mariah said glumly, and gave her the details of her meeting with the loan officer.

“Who needs a small business loan?” Clover asked, coming over to plop down in the chair across from Lissette.

“Mariah,” Lissette said. “She wants to start a wedding planning business but Nancy Hickok won’t give her one without a cosigner.”

Clover looked at Mariah. “I’ll cosign the loan for you.”

“I can’t let you do that,” Mariah protested.

“Why not?” Clover waved her hand at the room. “I have no one to leave my vast empire to.”

Mariah gulped. “I just realized that if I started a wedding planning business, it will be taking money out of your pocket. I can’t do that.”

“Honey, you’d be doing me a favor. I’m getting too old to host these wedding receptions. I was looking to get out from under the responsibility.”

Mariah’s heart picked up a restless rhythm. “You’re serious?”

“Serious? No. I’m only serious about cutting. But sincere, yes, I’m sincere.”

“No. I can’t accept it.” Mariah shook her head. “What if I fail and cause you to lose your money?”

“Here’s a thought. What if you succeed and cause me to make money?”

“How would that work?’

“I bet on you and you don’t let me down.”

“So no pressure, huh?”

Clover grinned. “Not at all.”

“Why would you do that for me?” Mariah asked, incredulous.

“Honey, I changed your dirty diapers. We’re like family. Now let’s go see Nancy Hickok.”

Chapter Thirteen

There’s magic and then there’s miracles, they ain’t the same thing.

—Dutch Callahan

M
ariah drove back to the ranch on a celebratory high. It was her day off from the Silver Horseshoe, she had fifty thousand dollars in the bank, she was within weeks of making all her dreams come true, and the first person she wanted to tell about it was Joe. He hadn’t been at Clover’s party because he was too busy training Miracle.

Her life had been a series of disappointments, but this time she wasn’t going to let anything stop her. She’d found herself unwillingly plunked down into a lemon grove, but that meant she had all the tools she needed to open a lemonade stand, and that’s exactly what she intended on doing.

Bloom where you’re planted.

Something Dutch used to say to Cassie when he’d drag them to yet another dead-end spot. “Bloom where you’re planted.”

So now you’re living by the gospel of Dutch?

Hey, the man must have done something right. Everyone in Jubilee loved him.

She pulled to a stop outside the ranch house at Green Ridge and got out of the truck.

Joe was in the corral sitting in a cutter’s slump on Miracle’s back and they were playing a game of can’t-get-past-me with a curly-haired Hereford calf.

The calf dodged left, so did Miracle. Then the calf would dart right, but Miracle was a step ahead of it. Back and forth, over and over. Frustrated, the calf bawled for its mama.

She walked toward the corral fence. Joe hadn’t seen her yet. His attention was glued to the calf. He wore a blue chambray shirt open at the collar, and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing those ropy forearms thick with dark black hair. Chaps covered his strong legs, and his black cowboy hat was cocked back on his head. Watching the man and horse move as one sent a wave of emotion swimming through her. It was like the most beautiful dance in the world.

Joe Daniels was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen. She couldn’t tear her eyes off him. As if he could feel her staring, Joe glanced up, met her gaze, grinned, and sent Mariah’s heart reeling sideways.

Don’t. Watch out. He’s just like your dad. So wrapped up in cutting horses that there is no space in his life for anything else.

He reined in Miracle, allowing the calf to cross the corral to its mother, and slipped from the stallion’s back. Doffing his hat, he crossed the distance from the middle of the ring to the fence where she stood watching.

“Hi,” he said, sounding breathless.

“Hey.”

“What’s got you looking so smiley?”

“It’s a go.”

“A go?” He ran a hand through his rumpled hair, then pushed open the corral fence, and came out to join her.

“The wedding chapel, transforming the barn into a reception hall, my wedding planning business, all of it. I got the loan. Well . . . after Clover cosigned the note for me.”

“So it’s official. You’re staying in Jubilee?” Did his voice sound hopeful or was it merely her imagination?

“I’m staying in Jubilee,” she confirmed.

Joe let out a whoop, and to Mariah’s shocked surprise, he scooped her up in his arms and spun her in a circle.

Now she was breathless too. “What was that for?”

“I’m just . . . Dutch . . . your dad would be so happy you finally came home.”

She wanted to tell him that Jubilee wasn’t her home, but she had to admit she’d never felt as welcomed anywhere as she did right here. He sat her on the ground and she stepped back to get some perspective. When she was too close to him, she lost all reasoning power.

“So,” she said, “I’d like to start construction as soon as possible. I’ve called an architect. I know you’re really busy getting Miracle ready for the futurity so I’m letting you off the hook. I—”

“You’ll need help cleaning the place up. I’ll be there with my hands tomorrow morning. Is seven too early?”

“Seven is perfect.”

They beamed at each other.

Watch it. Watch it. You don’t want to get involved with a cutting horse cowboy. Especially one who is still hung up on his dead wife. Nothing but heartache down that road.

Good advice. Smart advice. But that didn’t stop her from falling into the depths of his dark eyes.

“Hey,” he said, “would you like to try your hand at cutting?”

“What?”

“Just to see what it feels like.”

“I . . .” Shivery excitement shimmered through her. “Okay, sure, but I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” he said.

“It’s been years since I’ve ridden a horse.”

“It’s not something you forget.”

Pulse thumping, she eased up to Miracle. The beautiful horse sniffed her when she held out her hand and then she climbed into the saddle.

“See that brindle cow in the middle of the herd?” Joe nodded at the small herd of cattle in the corral.

“Uh-huh.”

“Just ease into the herd and drive her out.” He stood on the ground, hands on his hips.

“Okay,” she murmured. “Here goes nothing.” Gently, she nudged Miracle’s flank with her boot heels and he walked forward into the herd. “Um, this isn’t She Devil, is it?”

“No,” Joe assured her. “This little heifer is polled. She Devil has horns.”

The stallion parted the herd and the brindle cow backed away from Miracle.

“Once you’re clear of the rest of the cows, drop your rein hand. Relax now. Sit easy and never take your eyes off the heifer.”

“Got it,” Mariah said.

“Trust Miracle and just let him work on his own. He knows what to do.”

The brindle cow broke away. With her gaze fixed on the animal, Mariah dropped the rein to signal to Miracle that he was on his own.

And then, holy cow, what a ride!

Miracle immediately moved to block the cow from returning to the herd. Back and forth they went, the cow trying to get back to its group, Miracle standing in its way with an intensity Mariah had never experienced. It was like riding a bouncing yo-yo. Back and forth, back and forth. Miracle never gave an inch. Joe kept encouraging Mariah to stay relaxed and let the horse have his head. Finally, the calf bellowed, spun, and ran in the opposite direction from the herd.

“What do I do now?” Mariah asked, feeling a little panicky.

Joe let out a whoop of joy and doffed his cowboy hat. “Nothing, darlin’, you just cut your first cow. It’s official. You’re a cutter.”

Mariah couldn’t help grinning. It had been fun. No, not just fun,
exhilarating.
Her blood sang and her cheeks heated and she couldn’t wait to do it again. “Can I cut another one?”

Joe burst out laughing. “You’re hooked. Clearly the apple does not fall far from the tree. Sure, go ahead. Cut another one.”

An hour later, the sun was almost gone and Mariah had a profound appreciation for the thing her father had loved more than his own family.

“You wanna help me put Miracle to bed?” Joe asked. “We could talk about your plans for the wedding chapel.”

“Yes, sure.”

“C’mon.” He put his arm to the small of her back—she had to admit it felt pretty damn good there, but at the same time, wished it didn’t—and ushered her into the corral. He whistled and the horse came trotting over.