Do or Die Cowboy Read online

  She grinned breathlessly and nodded. “Thanks, Ty. Thank you so very much.”

  He made a growling sound and raised an eyebrow at her.

  “I mean, well…what else can I say but thanks?”

  “That’s plenty.” He held her face in both hands and dropped a kiss on her nose. “Now, let me get back to work while there’s still some light left.” He climbed out and walked toward his truck.

  * * *

  Leah sat for a moment, relishing the warm comfort of his caring. She had no idea what tomorrow might bring, but for now, she was soaking it up like sunshine.

  Reluctantly, she emerged, watching Ty’s retreating form as he moved with an athletic ease. He didn’t seem to have any idea how hot he looked with or without a shirt, which she found even more endearing.

  When she stepped inside the house, she found Gran grinning at her. “So, that’s how it is, huh?”

  Leah shrugged, trying to stifle an embarrassed grin of her own. “I’m not sure how it is, but I’m just going to see what happens. Ty is the one with an agenda, and he’ll have to decide what he wants.”

  Gran gave her an appraising look. “Any fool can see that young man is mighty sweet on you. I think it would be a good idea to decide what you want, young lady.”

  Leah pressed her lips together. “I…I want to be happy. I want to take care of my daughter and never put her in danger again.” She drew in a breath and blew it out forcefully. “I want us all to be safe…from…from…”

  “We’ll be fine,” Gran spat out tersely. “Nobody better ever come around here intendin’ to hurt you or my little Gracie again. They just better not is all I’m sayin’.”

  Leah spent the rest of the afternoon working around the house.

  Gran had already surveyed the huge quantity of food now stored in her refrigerator and pantry. A large bowl of fresh fruit sat in the center of the table, washed and ready to be eaten.

  Leah could almost see the thoughts whirling around her grandmother’s head. Gran realized what a nice man Ty was, and she wanted there to be something lasting between him and Leah, but Leah wanted to be fair. As much as she would like to believe such a forever was possible, she knew Ty’s dreams of a music career had to be respected, so she would remain quiet and let things play out as they should.

  As the sunlight faded, Ty remained outside, working. He was nowhere to be seen, although Leah frequently cast a glance through the screen door.

  She helped Gran with dinner, which was more elaborate than before. The aroma of a luscious meatloaf in the oven wafted through the air. And Gran had made biscuits and tomato gravy.

  Leah made a big pot of creamy mashed potatoes and arranged a salad in a glass bowl. Finally, she placed the brand-new bottle of ranch dressing on the table next to the fruit bowl.

  “You better go out and see what Ty’s up to. Tell him dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes.” Gran nodded her head toward the oven. “I made a cobbler with some of the peaches, so I’ll pop it in when the meatloaf is done.”

  “I’ll tell him.” Leah started for the door.

  “That young feller sure does know how to work hard. He ain’t no slacker.”

  Leah stepped out onto the porch. The sun was low, streaking the blue sky with long fingers of purple and salmon. Glancing around, she didn’t see Ty, so she headed to the back of the property.

  A bubble of joy rose in her chest as she spied him atop his big, black stallion. The horse danced a little, but Ty held the reins and stroked its neck. “Easy there, boy. You’re all right.”

  Leah heard the same soothing tone he used on her when she was upset.

  He looked up and spotted her, giving a wave. “Hey there.” Still bare-chested and wearing his Stetson, the sight of him set her pulses to racing.

  “Hey, yourself.” Her words came out all gravelly. She cleared her throat. “Are you about ready for dinner? Gran says everything will be ready in twenty minutes or so.”

  He flapped the stirrups against the horse’s flanks and rode to where she stood. “That’s about as perfect as perfect can be. Just enough time for me to take you for a ride.” He leaned down to her, extending an arm for her to grab onto.

  She reached up, the desire to be held overcoming her shyness.

  Ty swung her up effortlessly, arranging her astride the saddle in front of him. “Here you go. You’re okay.” His hand was on her thigh, burning through the denim.

  An involuntary smile spread across her face. Yes, the same tone of voice he uses on the horse.

  He arranged her hands on the saddle horn and wrapped one arm around her, resting it at her waist.

  Exhaling, she tried to calm her jitters. I’m okay. But when Ty clicked the reins and the big horse started forward, she gripped his arm for dear life.

  The horse was moving at an easy gait, and she realized she was in no danger of falling off. She tried to relax, and Ty pulled her back to rest against his chest. When they drew even with the front of the house, he turned his mount to the west, facing into the blazing glory of the sunset. She let out a little bleat of pleasure.

  “Sure is pretty, isn’t it?” Ty’s deep voice rumbled in his chest, vibrated through her spine, and annexed her as a part of him.

  She mumbled an acknowledgment of sorts, happy to be in his embrace. Happy to be happy.

  They rode all around the property, but he headed back within the twenty allotted minutes. He drew up beside the porch and swung her down out of the saddle with one arm, then climbed down himself. He patted Prince on the neck and tied the reins to the porch railing.

  Leah felt a sense of loss, having been deposited on her own two feet and deprived of the warm, secure blanket of Ty. She wrapped her arms around herself for comfort and waited as he made sure the horse was secure. She heard a soft whine and turned to find both dogs staring at her. Lucky swished his long and magnificent feathered tail, and Eddie waggled his curly little one.

  When Ty turned to her, he looped his arm around her, ushered her up onto the porch, and held the door for her.

  The aroma of good food hit her like a truck. She was suddenly aware of how hungry she was.

  Ty grabbed a clean shirt from his duffel. “Let me wash up, and I’ll be right out.”

  He disappeared down the hall and returned shortly, looking tidy with his shirt tucked in and his hair damp. “Something smells mighty good.”

  Gran turned from the stove to give him a smile. “Well, after you brought all this food home, the least we can do is cook you up a good meal. Come right over here and fill your plate, young feller, and take your seat at the table.”

  Ty gave a bow to Gracie and Leah. “Ladies first.”

  Gracie pranced ahead of him, and he pulled Leah into place, bringing up the rear of the line.

  Gran dished up the tasty food onto their plates and shooed them to the table. “I have peach cobbler in the oven, so save a little room for dessert.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Ty said. He took his plate and set it on the table but waited until Gran brought her own food, then held her chair before he seated himself.

  Leah sucked in a breath. No fair! This man is making me fall in love with him. He’s going to break my heart when he leaves. She reached for her napkin, but Gracie clasped her hands, resting her cast on the table.

  “Can I say grace?”

  Gran clasped her hands together and nodded. “Of course you can, precious.”

  Leah and Ty followed suit, bowing their heads.

  Gracie’s eyes were closed as she fervently gave thanks for being there, for all the food, and for Ty, who saved them.

  “Amen,” Gran said. “Now, dig in and enjoy, children. There’s plenty for seconds.”

  Leah reached for the biscuits, took one, and passed the basket to Ty.

  Gran leaned toward Ty. “How was your day, young man? I s
aw you workin’ real hard on Leah’s car.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I got it running and repaired the barn door. I closed it up for you and repaired some of the fence that was down.”

  “Land sakes! That’s a blessing.” Gran beamed across the table at him. “Them Carter boys have been cuttin’ my fence faster’n I been able to fix it. At first, I hired a couple o’ hands to help, but them Carters is a mean bunch, ’n they scared ’em off.” She scooped a bite of meatloaf into her mouth and chewed with a vengeance.

  Ty set his fork down. “They’ve been cutting your fences?” His brow furrowed with concern.

  Gran snorted. “Ol’ Man Carter’s been tryin’ to run me off this land since my husband passed.” She shook her head. “They’s all meaner’n the devil.”

  Ty’s face looked grim. “Now that I think about it, I remember the Carter family. Ray and Dean were bullies when my oldest brother was in high school. Colt got into a few fights with the Carters.”

  “Did he win?” Gran asked.

  Ty nodded curtly. “Yes, ma’am. My brother Colton is bigger than me. He’s not one to start a fight, but he sure knew how to finish one.”

  Silence as every person gathered around the table considered these revelations.

  Finally, Gran laughed. A cackle, really. “I would have paid good money to have seen them Carters get their tails whupped.”

  Another silence.

  Leah tried to envision a man even bigger than Ty but couldn’t. Gran’s disclosure about the Carters had taken the general mood way down.

  Ty picked up his fork. “Is this tomato gravy?” he asked. “I haven’t had anything this good since my mom passed.” He made sounds of appreciation.

  “So sorry to hear that, Ty.” Gran gazed across the table at him. “I’m sure she’s up in heaven, lookin’ down on you right now and feelin’ proud as punch for raisin’ such a good man.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know about that, but she always encouraged me to go after my dreams of a singing career. She thought I had a voice worth listening to.” He winked at Gracie and quickly changed the subject. “Man! This meatloaf hits the spot. Could you pass me another biscuit, please?”

  * * *

  After dinner, Ty asked Leah if she had charged up the prepaid phone he’d given her. When she produced it, he made a call on his cell to activate it for her. Then he put Gran’s old rotary-dial phone number and his cell number into her contacts. He also added both numbers to his cell. “Now we’ll all be able to stay connected.”

  Somehow, this gave Leah hope that he didn’t plan to drive off and forget her in a couple of days. She thanked him, pressing her lips together to keep from saying too much.

  “No big deal. I need to take care of Prince. I’ll be back in a little while.”

  “I—I can help,” Leah said.

  “Miz Fern, Prince is enjoying his stall in your barn.”

  “That’s good,” she said. “There’s plenty of fresh hay in the barn. One of them boys I hired to bale for me did a good job of gettin’ it stored right…then them Carters scared the bejesus out of him, an’ he never even come back to get his last paycheck.” The grim set of her mouth revealed her negative memory of that event.

  A shiver that must have registered on the Richter scale coiled around Leah’s spine. She rubbed her arms, feeling guilty that her grandmother had gone through this bullying alone. She should have come to Langston after her grandfather passed. Maybe she could have deterred the Carters from their plan to intimidate the frail woman into selling off her land at a bargain price. And for sure, she would not have been so available when Caine got paroled. She gazed sorrowfully at her daughter managing to eat with the big cast on her arm.

  She found Tyler staring hard. He looked almost as grim as Gran.

  “Okay, you can come with me to say good night to my horse.” He headed for the door, and she trailed behind him.

  She watched as he untied Prince’s reins from the porch railing and stroked the horse’s head and neck. “Good boy,” he crooned. He made a clicking noise and led Prince toward the back of the property. He held out his other hand to Leah who hurried to catch up. Somehow, placing her hand in Ty’s chased away the demons tormenting her and gave her courage to stride confidently beside him.

  The big black stallion walked behind, his shoes making a clip-clop sound on the hard-baked earth. She was acutely conscious of the big animal on the other end of the reins. She gazed into his dark eyes, feeling a bit overmatched.

  The barn was dark, but Ty threw the doors open wide and strode inside. He found a single bare lightbulb hanging in the center of the barn and pulled the knotted string. The bulb sprang to life, momentarily blinding her. The horse started, but Ty quieted him.

  As her eyes adjusted to the light, she realized only the middle of the barn was bathed in light. Deep black shadows ringed the periphery.

  Ty led the horse to the line of stalls located on one side of the barn. He chose one and led Prince inside before removing the saddle and reins. Heaving the saddle over the edge of the stall, he removed Prince’s reins and hung them on a nail by the stall door.

  He proceeded to feed and water his horse as well as brush him with a curry brush. The horse’s black coat gleamed in the harsh light.

  “That’s about it, big boy,” Ty said, giving Prince’s flank a final pat. He closed the door to the stall and turned to Leah. “Thanks.”

  She grinned self-consciously. “I didn’t do anything.”

  “Maybe I just like having you around.” He held out his arm.

  “Well, in that case, you’re welcome.” She linked her arm through his and followed as he turned out the light and secured the barn door.

  On the way back, Ty stopped to secure the chicken coop and the pen around the enclosure.

  When they returned to the house, they found Gran and Grace had cleared the table, put away the food, and washed dishes. Gran was folding a dishcloth, which she hung over a rack inside the cabinet under the sink. “Ty, you get that horse put back in the barn?”

  “Yes, Miz Fern. I fed him, and now he’s locked up tight in his stall.”

  “Leah, why don’t you help Ty get his things settled in the bunkhouse?” Gran smiled encouragingly. “I’ll help Gracie with her bath and put her to bed.”

  Leah glanced from Gran to Ty to Gracie. “Are you sure?”

  As if to clinch matters, Gracie threw her arms around Leah’s neck. “Good night, Mommy.” Then she ran to give Ty the same treatment.

  Given her earlier conversation with her grandmother, Leah suspected collusion.

  “You sleep well, Gracie,” he called as she disappeared down the hallway in the direction of the bathroom.

  Gran gave a little wave and trekked after her, leaving Leah alone with Ty.

  She sucked in a breath. “Well, let’s get you settled, then.”

  He nodded and picked up his bag. When they were outside, he got a few more things out of the truck, including a guitar case and some western shirts on hangers. Then he turned and looked at her expectantly.

  She tucked her hand in the crook of his arm, content to walk along beside him as they made their way in the dark. Clouds had obscured the moon, so it lent very little illumination for their footsteps. “I should have brought the flashlight,” she said.

  “Nah. We’re fine.”

  “Are you always so sure of yourself?”

  He chuckled in the darkness. “Well, I’ve survived this long. I have no reason to believe my time is up. Besides, I have things to do yet.”

  “I see,” she said. “I suppose you think I should adopt your ridiculously positive attitude.”

  “That’s the idea. Keep your chin up and your eyes on the prize. That’s my motto.” He made a kissy sound when Lucky veered off course to investigate something in the overgrowth beside the path, and the d
og immediately fell in by his side.

  “Here we are,” Leah announced when they reached the bunkhouse. Ty opened the door, and she reached inside to flip the light switch. “It’s not much, but you should be comfortable.”

  Ty looked around and grinned. “Looks fine to me.” He sat his bags and paraphernalia on the floor beside the bed that had been made up. “It was real nice of your grandmother to go to such trouble.”

  “Yeah, well, you’ve gone to a lot of trouble for us…for me.”

  He shot her a look that went straight to her heart and brought a rush of color to her cheeks.

  “I know you don’t want me to be all gushy with thanks, but everything you’re doing here makes a world of difference.” She ran her tongue over her lips. “For all of us, but especially for me.”

  He lifted her chin, holding her gaze. “Aw, Leah, you’re about the sweetest thing I’ve ever come across. I wish I could do more.”

  “You’re doing plenty,” she breathed, her heart thumping so hard against her ribs she was pretty sure he could hear.

  Ty leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her mouth. The next kiss wasn’t so gentle. Nor the one after that. He wrenched his lips away from hers. “I don’t know what it is about you, but once I kiss you, I don’t want to stop.” His gaze seemed to impale her very soul.

  Leah swallowed hard. “I—I don’t want to stop either.” She felt her cheeks burning under his scrutiny.

  He leaned closer, his cheek pressed to hers. “Tell you what. Let me get some things in my life straightened out, and then we can take a good look at what we have here. You can tell me then if you want me to stop.”

  Her knees almost buckled beneath her. “Okay,” she whispered.

  He kissed her cheek and then her neck, just below her ear.