My Favorite Cowboy Read online

  Hannah slapped him on the shoulder. “Now, this just beats all,” she exclaimed as Veronica stood up, squealed and trotted to her car.

  As they stood there, watching Veronica get in the car, Hannah shook her head. “She’s not the girl for you, Jarred. One day, you’re going to realize that.”

  “And in the meantime?”

  “In the meantime we might as well go get dry.”

  When Hannah turned and went inside the ice-cream shack, Jarred walked on back to his truck.

  That moment, just as a blaze of lightning ignited the sky, a memory flashed of him and Serena the other night…their two bodies brushing against each other.

  Of how sweet she’d tasted when he’d pressed his lips to hers. “Umbrellas, I’m finding, can be a heck of a good thing,” he murmured.

  After another few minutes, he’d unlocked the truck and got into the cab. Water dripped from his T-shirt and jeans, soaking the upholstery and making him chilled.

  Lord, but he was a mixed-up idiot. The other night, he’d been entertaining all kinds of thoughts about Serena Higgens.

  Now he’d good and messed up things with Veronica. Shoot. It would serve him right if she up and got pneumonia and was too sick to go to the auction.

  He sneezed. And sneezed again. Maybe he was getting sick, too.

  After driving home and showering, Jarred walked into his room to find Virginia waiting for him on his bed. “’Bout time you got out,” she chirped as she jumped up and down, messing up his already messed-up sheets.

  He tightened the towel around his waist. “Ginny, you shouldn’t be hanging out in my room without letting me know. And stop jumping on my bed.”

  After two more jumps, she stopped. “But I had to talk to you.”

  “Get down, and then we’ll talk.”

  Mulishly, she climbed off then slowly stopped in front of him. He tightened the towel around his waist. “Can this wait until I get dressed?”

  “Uh-uh. Jarred, I’ve had a real bad day.”

  He fought the urge to smile. For Ginny, a bad day could mean anything from no peanut butter for lunch to a bee sting. Still holding his towel tight—ever thankful that Gwen had bought them all extra-large bath sheets—he sat gingerly beside her. “All right. Let’s hear it. Did you get in another fight?”

  “Daddy was sick today.”

  All thoughts of bee stings flew out the window. “What? Did Daddy say he wasn’t feeling well?”

  She nodded, her bottom lip in a pout. “It’s true. Daddy said he wasn’t feeling too good, so he couldn’t take me riding like he said he would.”

  “I bet he was just tired.”

  “Maybe, but I think the doctor at the hospital said his heart was sick. Daddy now has to stay home in bed and rest.”

  In the span of two seconds, Jarred felt his whole world come crashing down. Suddenly, everything he thought was important turned on its side and faded to black. “Daddy…I mean Dad was in the hospital? Are you sure?”

  “Oh, yes,” she said earnestly, her bright blue eyes staring at him. “It was kinda scary and exciting, too. Gwen and Trent took him in. I stayed with Junior.” Ever the reporter, she continued. “Trent was going to call you, but Daddy said for him to stop his worrying and relax.”

  A little bit of irritation started coursing through him. A bit of hard feelings, too. “Trent should have called. Junior should have, too.” After all, he was the oldest. This family was his responsibility, too. His brothers should have known that.

  “They said we were to leave you alone ’cause someone told Trent they’d seen you having ice cream with Miss Veronica. Trent and Junior said you looovvve Miss Veronica.”

  “Hannah was there, too. And I wasn’t doing anything wrong, so don’t make it sound like I was.”

  Her eyes widened as hurt filled them.

  “Besides, other people don’t mean nothing compared to family.” Even though she was only five, he looked to Virginia for support. “You understand that, right?”

  She nodded solemnly. “Uh-huh.” Hopping off the bed, she did a little spin. “Um, things are better now anyway. They sent Daddy on home with a bunch of instructions. Now we’re all going to concentrate on making him better.” Brightening, she did a little hop. “Guess what? I drew him a picture.”

  “That will make him real happy, honey. I know it will. Now get on out of here while I put my clothes on. When I’m dressed, I’ll go get some answers.”

  She sidled to the door. “Are you glad I came in here to tell you?”

  “I’m real glad.” He kissed her forehead. “Now get, ’cause I’m getting cold.”

  She opened the door. “Jarred, now that I told you all about Daddy, you won’t tell him that I got in trouble today at school, will you?”

  “So, you were fighting again?”

  She looked down. “Maybe.”

  “With Billy?”

  “Kind of.”

  “Virginia Riddell, what is it going to take for you to leave that poor boy alone?”

  “He just ignores me otherwise.”

  “We’ll talk later. I won’t tell Dad if you get on out.”

  “We don’t want to make him mad.”

  “You need to learn to act like a little lady.”

  “That’s boring.”

  “It’s important.” With some dismay, he realized he was starting to sound an awful lot like Serena. What was up with that?

  “One day, are you going to bring Miss Veronica over?”

  “I don’t know.”

  That nonanswer seemed to suffice. She turned away.

  Grabbing a pair of boxers and jeans, he practically closed the door in her face. Yeah, he’d give his little sister some news…and then he was going to have plenty to say to his other two siblings. But he wasn’t going to be near as nice or patient.

  They should have called him. He was the oldest. He was used to making sure everything and everyone was taken care of.

  There was no way things were going to change now. Not now. Not ever.

  Chapter Nine

  When he was dressed, he met Virginia standing outside his door. Unable to resist her look of worry, he decided to leave all conversations about fighting for later and held out a hand. “Let’s go see how’s he’s doing.”

  “He’s not good. I told you that,” she exclaimed as they walked down the hall and up the stairs to his father’s suite. He was just about to push the door open when Gwen came out, her expression serious.

  He clutched her elbow. “What’s going on? How bad is he? And more important, why in the hell didn’t y’all call me?” he said, his voice rising. “I can’t believe I had to find out about Dad going to the hospital from Virginia.”

  Warily, Gwen looked toward Ginny, who was glancing from one to the other of them with a worried frown. “Keep your voice down,” she warned.

  “I will. When you give me some answers.”

  “Your dad’s going to be okay. He had some chest pains for a bit but he seems to be doing better.”

  “When did all this happen? He was fine when I saw him this morning.” He tried to recall exactly how his father looked at breakfast, but couldn’t remember anything out of the ordinary.

  “Don’t panic. It all just happened a few hours ago. His arm started going numb and he said his chest hurt. Right away, he knew he needed help. Luckily, Trent was with him, so he ran him down to First General.”

  As Jarred visualized the scene, he felt sick. Never in his life had he ever heard his father back out of anything. Never saw him weak.

  Never saw him as anything other than the strongest man in the room. “You’re making this whole episode sound way too normal. This isn’t. Dad doesn’t get sick.”

  Stealing another look at Virginia, Gwen’s voice hardened. “I’m telling you again, Jarred. You need to calm down.”

  He knew what she meant. Gently placing a hand on his little sister’s curls, he nodded. “I’m fine now. I promise. What happened?”

 
; “They ran a few tests and found out that he didn’t actually have a heart attack, but that all the signs are there. After they finished at the hospital, the doctors there called Doc. He stopped by when your dad got back.”

  What the heck? “So, Dad’s been in the emergency room, getting seen here by Doc, and according to you, everything’s hunky-dory. I can’t believe nobody called me,” he said again. “I told you, Jarred,” Virginia protested, clearly irritated. “I told you as soon as I could.”

  Feeling bad, he knelt down and clasped her pudgy hand. Squeezing gently, he said, “I know you did. You told me, and I’m grateful.” The moment Ginny smiled, Jarred looked up toward Trent, who had just exited his father’s room. “I meant, I can’t believe you didn’t call me when y’all were at First General. Earlier.”

  “Honestly, Jarred, stop being in such a snit about being informed. Things were crazy. Dad’s blood pressure was through the roof.”

  “If it was so bad, don’t you think he should still be in the hospital? You should’ve put your foot down, Trent, and told them what you thought about him getting shuffled around.”

  “You weren’t there, so stop with the advice. Doc said we could watch him here just as well.” A muscle in Trent’s jaw was twitching something awful…obviously he was about to lose his patience. “That was the right decision. You know as well as I do what a stinker of a patient he would be. And like I said, Doc told us he could be watched at home.”

  “Sorry. I guess you’re right.”

  “Guess?”

  “I know you were right. Happy?”

  Now that he’d finally been listened to, Trent held out a packet of papers. “Here’s what the doctor suggested. You might want to skim over it for a few minutes.”

  “I will.”

  Trent gestured to the door. “Dad’s been asking about you. When you’re ready, you can go on in.”

  While Gwen walked off with Trent and Virginia, Jarred took a few moments to read the doctor’s report. Much of it he didn’t understand, though the phrases “high blood pressure” and “in danger of heart attack” jumped out at him.

  After schooling his emotions as best he could, Jarred knew he couldn’t wait another moment. Pushing back his father’s door, he entered the dim room. Instantly, he was enveloped with the comforting, familiar smells of the past. A lingering scent of leather and Chaps cologne permeated everything.

  As quietly as he could, he padded across the thick charcoal-gray carpet, ready to sit by his father’s bedside and keep watch.

  “If you’re looking for a body, you won’t find one there,” his father called out from across the room. “I’m over here, son. On the couch.”

  Quickly Jarred changed directions, stumbling a bit when he noticed his father’s pallor reflecting in the soft glow of his reading light.

  Wrapped in a thick hunter-green robe, his dad looked almost small—quite a feat for a 230-pound man. In front of him was a glass of water and the remains of a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

  Two magazines were strewn in front of him, his reading glasses lying on top.

  But it didn’t look as if his dad had been doing much of anything beyond sitting in the dim light.

  Something definitely was off. “You should be in bed.”

  “Not while it’s daylight, I shouldn’t. Stop lurking, boy, and come over here and have a seat.”

  Jarred bypassed the spot on the couch next to him and took the easy chair instead. That way he’d be able to look his dad over without being too obvious about it. “I heard you’ve had quite a day.”

  “Ain’t no big thing. My blood pressure’s acting up again.”

  “I didn’t know it was ever acting up at all. You should have told me, Dad.”

  “I didn’t want to worry you.”

  “Now I’m going to worry about you all the time.”

  His father rolled his eyes. “Lucky me.”

  “Dad, I would have tried to help you.”

  “Maybe that’s why I didn’t say a word. I’m old but not helpless. I didn’t think I needed help.”

  “From what these papers say, it looks like Doc Johnson thought otherwise. And that he’s thought you needed help for some time. Would’ve been nice if you had shared that with us.”

  His father looked away. “Maybe you’re right. I guess my body has decided to show its age from time to time.”

  “With better food and the right medicine, it sounds like things can get back on track. We don’t need another episode like today.”

  “I’m with you. My trip to the hospital scared your little sister to no end. Disappointed her, too. She was counting on a pony ride today.”

  Since Virginia probably needed a talking-to about her behavior, Jarred thought it was likely a good thing she got no pony ride. “I’ll deal with her later.”

  “Thanks. It won’t do to forget about things like that. She’s just a little thing.” He slumped against the couch, showing every bit of his sixty-two years. “So. Ginny told me you’ve developed a fondness for Veronica Snow.”

  “Virginia talks too much. Probably can’t count on much of what she says, you know.”

  “I wouldn’t tell her that. She’s just like her mother in that way—sure that every word she utters is the only way to go. She’d give you what-for before you knew which end was up.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Veronica is quite a pretty thing.”

  “She is, at that.”

  His father’s eyes turned wistful. “I knew her mother once upon a time.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “It was back in high school.”

  “Did y’all date?”

  “For a time. I took her to a dance or two. Then I met your mother and I couldn’t think of another girl.”

  To hear his mother referred to as a girl made Jarred smile. “I guess not. Mom was special.”

  “Oh, yes, she was.” His father’s expression went soft and far away…just like it always did whenever they talked about June Riddell. “Your mother was special. She was a real lady.”

  Jarred’s memories of his mother involved her whipping her three boys into shape…but making cookies, too. Of riding her paint slow and easy on Saturday mornings, and dressing up for church on Sundays.

  She’d been a good woman. Pretty. Happy with herself and with her life. And with them.

  Pretty darned near perfect.

  That’s what he aimed to have for himself one day. A woman like that. A woman to make his family proud. “I think Veronica is a real lady, too.”

  “Perhaps. Though, I found out the hard way that sometimes it’s real difficult to know what a woman’s really like.”

  Jarred knew that to be true. Women were hard to trust. But what could he do? He needed somebody. And Ginny did, too.

  After a moment, his dad raised a brow. “Your talkative sister told me you’ve decided to take up charm school. That true?”

  “No, sir.” When one of his father’s eyes narrowed, Jarred amended his words. “I mean, I don’t know. Serena Higgens is giving me a few pointers on being a gentleman. Ladies like Veronica need someone a little less rough around the edges, I think.”

  “A Riddell gentleman?” Cal Sr. gave a bark of laughter. “I didn’t know that was possible.”

  “Mom always thought it was,” Jarred said in defense.

  “She did…but Carolyn thought differently.”

  The same sick feeling that always engulfed him when he heard Carolyn’s name flooded back. “Carolyn was all wrong for us, Dad.”

  “She was. I’ve never been so happy to see someone walk out of my life.” After a pause, his dad spoke again. “You know, I always thought you might fall in love with someone a little more down-to-earth, but you may be right about looking for a lady. Ever since we found oil, I’ve been hoping to give you boys a better life. To launch you into society. Better manners might help.”

  “They can’t hurt.”

  “If you marry a city girl like Ve
ronica, your children might think about going to college instead of the rodeo circuit. There’s something to be said about yearning for a life that doesn’t involve sitting on the back of a bull for eight seconds.”

  Hearing his father put down his many accomplishments made Jarred sad. “What you did in the ring was special, Dad. We knew it and Mom knew it, too. We’ve always been proud of you. Always.”

  “I’m grateful for that. But when we bought this house and Junior started community college, I started thinking that maybe we could get a little bit of class.”

  “I’m working on it.”

  “Well, tell me all about these lessons. Do you think you can learn something from Serena?”

  “I think so. She’s a regular encyclopedia of proper behavior.”

  “You listening to her?”

  “Sometimes. Sometimes not.” Thinking about all his mistakes, Jarred shared the story about nearly dropping Serena when he was pretending to help her from the car. “Thank goodness Serena has quick reflexes.”

  As Jarred had hoped, his father laughed. “And the patience of a saint! What else has Serena been teaching you?”

  “The other day, she tried to teach me about carrying an umbrella for a woman, but it was a wash.”

  “It sounds easy enough.”

  “Well, it was a complete waste of time. I almost poked her eye out, and then today when it was raining, Veronica still got soaked to the skin.”

  “Funny thing about umbrellas,” his father mused. “Unless one’s over your head, you still get wet.”

  “That’s a good point.”

  “Well, no matter what, I have to say that spending time with Serena is probably a good thing.”

  His father’s comment took him by surprise. Serena was bossy and unappreciative of his efforts. “Why’s that?”

  “I was good friends with her dad. I always felt bad for her, having to live with the knowledge that her dad got hurt the way he did. In spite of everything, she’s got a good head on her shoulders.”

  “She does have a good head on her shoulders, but we’re just friends. That’s all,” he said rather testily. “Fact is, Serena’s in a bit of financial trouble. I’m just trying to help her out some.”