The Cowboy Earns a Bride (Cowboys of Chance Creek Book 8) Page 12

  As the days passed, Luke’s mood dipped further. He could no longer pretend he would marry Mia the first week in March. Instead of making up with him, she threw herself into preparing for the opening of Fila’s Familia, and helping Rose put together her wedding to Cab.

  That stung more than anything else. Whenever he ran into the sheriff, it was clear Cab was overjoyed to be with Rose, and anyone could see Rose adored him back. The couple obviously had a healthy sex life, too, if all their kissing and caressing was anything to go by. The sheriff was no ladies’ man and here he was getting lucky every night by the looks of things while Luke was stuck home alone. He was frustrated, irritable and downright mad at the way things had turned out. How was he supposed to fix things with Mia when she would never spend any time with him?

  At least he knew where she was—at the restaurant with Camila and Fila most of the time now that Fila was back from her honeymoon and opening day was looming large. Luke made it a point to drop by every few days on one pretext or another, but while Mia was perfectly polite she always kept the counter between them. Luke was beginning to think he’d never get to touch her again, and he ached to touch her. One night with Mia was definitely not enough.

  It had become clear to him, however, that his attraction to Mia had clouded his judgment. He’d been too busy missing her sexy, come-hither attire to stop and wonder why she’d changed her image and pulled away from him. After talking to Cab and Rose her intentions were more clear. While he liked Mia dressed up sexy, she probably attracted a lot of attention that wasn’t positive—like the unwanted attention she’d received at the beauty contest years ago, and Ellis Scranton’s, too.

  She’d changed her look because she wanted a different kind of regard. She wanted respect. He could understand that. Too bad instead of showing her any he’d tried to undercut her self-confidence and belittled her dreams. He hadn’t been swift to correct his mistake either. Somehow the restaurant felt too public to have a heart to heart, and the Cruz ranch guesthouse tended to be full of Ethan and Autumn’s friends in the evenings. Mia wouldn’t invite him upstairs these days. His pride had kept him from making amends in front of an audience and with each passing day it became harder to admit he was wrong.

  Today he meant to make amends for that. He touched the small package in his coat pocket as he drove the tractor he’d used to haul feed out to the cattle back to its shed. It contained two jeweled hairpins he’d bought for Mia. He hoped she’d use them for those new hairstyles of hers and understand he thought her new look was beautiful. He hoped she’d understand he wanted another chance. Without him having to say as much in words.

  He parked the tractor, shut it off and hopped down.

  “There you are.”

  Luke nearly jumped out of his skin when his father moved into the shed. Now he was in for it. Holt had never kept his opinions bottled up this long. Luke could only imagine what he wanted to say.

  “Let’s talk about your bank account.”

  Bank account? Luke frowned. “What about it?’

  “I see a fancy truck in your driveway. I hear that you purchased a ring that cost more than my house.”

  “It didn’t cost more than your house, and Mia gave it back anyway.”

  “Smart girl. But I have a feeling those aren’t your only outstanding expenses. I’ve heard about the way you’re throwing your money around.”

  That damned truck salesman. Luke should have known better than to trade on his name to secure financing when he didn’t have the money in the bank for a real down payment. The man probably hinted about it to Holt down at Rafters—a watering hole favored by older cowboys who didn’t care for the loud music and crowds at the Dancing Boot. Holt wouldn’t have liked that.

  “Well?”

  “It’s under control.” Luke tried to push past Holt, but Holt grabbed his arm.

  “Don’t get into debt. It ain’t worth it.”

  Too late, Luke thought. “I said it’s under control.”

  Holt stopped him again. “You’ve chosen a hard road, son. Don’t make it harder.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  His father hesitated, then shook his head. “No, I ain’t having that conversation. You know damned well what I mean. I will say this. That girl of yours is a fighter. Don’t underestimate her.”

  Luke stilled. A fighter. What did Holt know about Mia? Something told Luke he wasn’t referencing Ellis, or the fact that she was about to be a single mother. He was talking about something else. “What do you know about beauty pageants?” he blurted out.

  Holt turned away. “Pageants? What about them?”

  “Something shady was going on—about seven years ago. Did you hear about that? About one of the judges?”

  Luke thought his father wasn’t going to answer, he hesitated so long. “I did hear something about that. Something I didn’t like at all.”

  “What did you hear?”

  “Fred Warner. Biggest ass I ever met. Hung out at Rafters for a time, until the rest of us let him know he wasn’t welcome anymore.”

  “Why? What did he do?”

  “Ran off his mouth a lot when he’d had a few too many—which was all the time. Most of it was bullshit. Bragging. That kind of thing. This was different.”

  Dread crept into Luke’s gut. He’d been tamping down a thought that kept creeping up—an idea of what might have happened to Mia. He didn’t think he could bear to hear it out loud. “Spill it.”

  “Let’s just say he made it clear he sometimes used his status as a judge to get special treatment from the contestants. That’s how he put it—special treatment.” Holt’s expression was hard. “Said they were all too willing to give it to him, most of the time. Said when they weren’t he knew how to persuade them. That’s what got to me. He knew how to persuade them.”

  He shook his head. “I didn’t understand it all at first. Thought it was ugly but didn’t realize how ugly. I didn’t have daughters—I didn’t know the first thing about pageants. I figured those girls he was talking about were twenty, twenty-one. Old enough to know better.” Luke heard the regret in his father’s voice. “Should have shot that man, that’s what we should have done.” He turned to Luke. Held his gaze. “Few weeks later a friend of mine was bragging about his girl—how she won a pageant. I was surprised. ‘But Inez is just a little thing,’ I said. My pal nodded.” Holt swallowed. “‘That’s right,’ he says. ‘Just turned fifteen and won regionals.’ I thought my ticker would give out right then and there when I put it together. Regionals. The pageant Warner was judging. Well.” He nodded. “I had a word with Warner. Should have had more than a word. Regret now that’s all I did.”

  “What did Warner do?” Luke’s hands were icy cold and not just from the weather.

  “Left town not long after. Moved west, I think.” He slid another look Luke’s way. “Your girl was in those pageants. Mia.”

  “Yeah. Yeah, she was.”

  “I just stopped by to make sure you hadn’t changed your mind,” Inez said, leaning on the counter.

  Mia wiped an imaginary spot with a rag, and couldn’t meet her eye. “I don’t think so. I’m sorry, Inez,” she rushed on when the other woman began to speak. “I know it’s the right thing to do. I know I should do it, but I don’t think I can. I’m not brave like you.”

  “Sure you are.” Inez chuckled grimly. “It was your bravery in speaking out in the first place that’s stuck with me all these years. It’s what made me brave enough to finally speak up.”

  Mia turned aside. “What if they don’t listen to us?”

  “I think they will. If they don’t, at least we tried.”

  “I don’t want to see him again.” She finally put her worst fear into words.

  “I know.” Inez touched her arm. “The thing is, I think we might have to.”

  Mia closed her eyes. She thought Inez would keep trying to convince her, but instead the other woman waited patiently. Mia thought again of all the girl
s who were in the pageants Warner was judging. She thought about him leading them into small rooms, backing them into corners, pawing them. Forcing himself on them.

  Damn it, couldn’t she ever get away from the past?

  No. Not until she faced it down.

  “Okay,” she said reluctantly. “I’ll do it. I don’t want to, but I will.”

  Inez let out a breath. “Thank you, Mia. We can stop him. I know it.”

  The door opened behind them and Tracey Richards walked into the restaurant. “Hi, Mia. Hi, Inez.”

  Mia straightened her shoulders and smiled. “Hi, Tracey. We’re not open for a few more days. Is there something I can help you with?”

  “Yes,” Tracey said, rushing forward and holding out her left hand. “You can help plan my wedding. I just got engaged!”

  When Luke walked into the restaurant an hour later, he hoped to find Mia alone. He didn’t know yet what he’d say to her. He wasn’t sure how she’d react when she found out he’d pried into her past. He wasn’t sure if he should ask about Warner, either. Would she want to talk about it if the man had—

  Luke couldn’t even finish the thought. Every time he thought about what Warner had done, how he’d taken advantage of young girls, how Luke still didn’t even know the extent of it, he had to choke back the bile that rose in his throat. If that animal hurt Mia—

  He forced himself to take a deep breath. First things first. He needed to show Mia he was on her side—that he supported her desire to be respected. He spotted Tracey Richards deep in conversation with Mia in one of the booths, talking quietly but excitedly. When she saw him, Mia exclaimed, “Look, Luke. Tracey’s engaged! And I’m going to plan her wedding!”

  A lock of Mia’s hair had slipped from the loose, artful bun she wore at the nape of her neck. Luke longed to slip the errant strand behind her ear and to draw her into a deep kiss, but he suspected that wouldn’t go down too well, so he only said, “Congratulations, Tracey. Who’s the lucky guy?”

  “Bart Lawton, from Butte. We’ve been dating for months and decided to make it official. Look at my ring!”

  It was a pretty, graceful ring, not unlike the one Mia had preferred to the flashy piece he’d forced upon her finger. A stab of regret pierced Luke and he wondered if things would have been different if he’d simply gone along with Mia’s choice that day at Thayer’s.

  But no—it wasn’t the ring that caused the problems between them. It was the way he’d told her she didn’t have a head for business. The truth was he had no idea if she did or not. He was afraid of the consequences of finding out, too. He was afraid they’d dig themselves deeper into debt. That wasn’t his call, though. Not his alone, at least. He was here to support Mia. If she wanted to be a businesswoman, he’d do all he could to help.

  “That’s real nice, Tracey. I hope you two will be very happy,” he made himself say.

  “I’ve got to run. See you Friday for our first consultation,” Tracey said to Mia. “Bye!”

  “Bye.” Mia turned to Luke. “That’s two weddings in May! And Lila White asked me to help with her family reunion, too. Three events in one month—two of them paid!”

  Luke blinked. She’d already racked up three events? Maybe she would make a go of it after all. Except…

  “That’s a lot going on in one month. You’ll still work at the restaurant full-time, too, right? When’s Tracey’s wedding?” Mia was going to be as exhausted as he was these days if she took all of that on.

  A worry line creased Mia’s forehead. “I forgot to ask. But I know she knows about Rose’s wedding, so there’s no way it’s on the same day.”

  “When’s the reunion?”

  Mia looked away. “It’s the day after Rose’s wedding, which isn’t perfect timing, but I’m sure I can handle it.”

  “The day after? Won’t the wedding go until late?”

  Mia shrugged.

  “Sounds to me like you’ve bitten off more than you can chew. You should carry a calendar around so you don’t double-book yourself like that.”

  She pulled back. “Like you know anything about it.”

  “I know that much.” He tried to take her hand. She yanked it away. “Come on, Mia. That’s just good business.”

  “If it’s such good business, why don’t you get yourself a calendar? Maybe then you’d remember to come over when you say you’re going to!”

  Luke bristled. “The only time I’ve ever stood you up was because there was an emergency on the ranch. If you haven’t noticed, I’m the one running it these days. Everyone else is too busy. But it’s still all getting done.”

  “I pity those cows,” Mia said.

  “Well, I pity those brides. You’re going to be so tired from running around trying to handle all those events you won’t get anything right. By May you’ll be as big as a house, too.”

  Mia pulled back, hurt written all over her face. Luke swore. He’d screwed up again—he hadn’t meant to hurt her, just to make her see sense. “Mia, that’s not what I meant to say. I just want…”

  “Go home, Luke.” Mia pushed out of the booth and brushed past him. He caught her arm. Swung her around.

  “I don’t want to go home because you’re not there.” He bent down and stole a kiss, knowing he wouldn’t get one any other way. When Mia didn’t pull away, he stole another one, and another. She stayed rigid in his arms, but she let him kiss her. When he pulled away, she leaned toward him, as if she couldn’t bear to part, either. He knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her and he pressed his point home. “You’re driving me crazy. I just want to be with you; that’s all I ever wanted. Look, I brought you something.” He pulled the small, wrapped box out of his pocket.

  “I won’t be with someone who doesn’t know the first thing about me. Who doesn’t care about what I care about.” She tried to break free from his embrace, but he moved with her, placing the box in her hand, and wrapping her fingers around it.

  “I know something about you. I know you’re the most stubborn, determined, hard-headed woman I ever met.”

  “That’s not good enough. You need to know something real.” She got free of him this time and headed toward the back of the restaurant where she slapped the small box down on the counter. Luke knew he had to work fast or he’d find that damn counter between them again.

  “Like about the beauty pageants?”

  Mia stopped in her tracks. “What about them?”

  Luke thought fast. How could he put it without scaring her off again? “You spent all those years looking for approval—from older men, mostly. That left you vulnerable.” He bit back Warner’s name. He wasn’t ready to talk about that yet. Wasn’t sure she was, either. “That’s a good setup for falling for Ellis’s tricks.”

  “And yours,” Mia said evenly. “You’re ten years older than me.”

  “Is that why you don’t trust me?” Luke moved closer to her. “You know I’d never hurt you. Not like those other men.”

  Mia stared at him. “Maybe not deliberately, but that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t stumble into it.” Her frank statement stopped him.

  “Like I said, I just want to be with you.”

  “And like I said, I want you to know me before you say that again. I want you to know what I want. What I need. What’s most important to me. Until then, I want you to go, Luke. I have a career to build.”

  In an instant, the counter was between them once more. Luke knew better than to try to follow Mia to the other side. Without another word, he turned on his heel and left the restaurant.

  He knew damn well what was important to Mia, but he wouldn’t tell her. He’d show her instead.

  ‡

  Chapter Eleven

  Three events in a row. She’d booked three events in a row.

  How stupid could she be? Mia sat at her desk in her rented room at the Cruz guesthouse, her newly acquired day planner laid out in front of her, the beautiful hairclips Luke had given her still in their box, and dropped her head in
to her hands.

  Luke was right. She’d end up making short shrift of all of them, having taken on too much. But what could she do? She’d given everyone her word and she didn’t want to start off her business by disappointing a customer.

  When she’d called Tracey and found out that the young woman had planned her wedding for the Friday night before Rose’s Saturday affair she hadn’t known what to say.

  “You’re going to skip Rose’s wedding?” she’d asked, scrambling for her calendar.

  “No, we’ll be there. We’re not taking our honeymoon until next spring. We’re spending the night at a hotel in Billings but we’ll be back by late afternoon when Rose’s wedding starts.”

  “But—” Didn’t Tracey realize how rude it was to plan her wedding that Friday night when many of her guests would have already penciled in Rose’s wedding the following day? Both women were well-liked in town, and they hung out with much the same crowd. What was Tracey thinking?

  Mia couldn’t think of a way to convey that without hurting Tracey’s feelings though, so she’d hung up, still booked for both weddings. She fingered the hairclips, loving that Luke had chosen them for her—that he’d obviously noticed her change of hairstyle and supported her attempt to update her image—but hating the fact that he’d been right about the three events in close succession being more than she could handle. Why, why, why did he have to be right?

  She heard voices downstairs and jumped up, hoping that someone had arrived who might help. When she went downstairs she found Autumn, Claire and Morgan in the living room.

  “Thank God,” Mia said. “I need some advice.”

  “What is it?” As usual, Autumn carried Arianna, who yawned sweetly and snuggled against her mother’s shoulder.

  “Tracey Richards scheduled her wedding for the Friday night before Rose’s. Can you believe that? I can’t figure out how to tell her to change it.”

  “That is… strange.” Morgan regarded her with a smile. “She’s invited to Rose’s wedding, right?”

  “Yes, and she’s coming, too. She acted like it was the most normal thing in the world.”