The Cowboy's New Heart Read online

  Leaning against the counter while Mona and Chris looked around, Hart gave Denni a smile that started at his generous lips and worked its way up to his eyes. He waited until she finished with the customer before speaking quietly, so Chris wouldn’t hear what he said. “I somehow got roped into doing a favor for a friend and I’m paying for it big time.”

  “You what?” Denni asked, confused by Hart’s statement until her gaze settled on Mona where she bent over a display of hand-made Valentine’s cards and sent Hart what he assumed she meant to be a seductive glance. Instead, it made him want to shiver in revulsion. “Oh, my…”

  “You got that right,” Hart said, seeing some humor in the situation for the first time since Richard had talked him into this ridiculous fiasco of a date. He could only imagine how the situation appeared to Denni. Hart absently wondered if she’d ever been set up on a miserable blind date then decided she was smart enough not to get herself into such an annoying mess.

  Denni studied Hart, from the thick sandy hair on his head, so similar in shade to her youngest son’s that they could have been related, to the toes of his polished boots. She wasn’t sure how he managed it, but he seemed to get better looking every time she saw him. Fit, tan, and all-man, Hart was ruggedly handsome and always smelled like some expensive cologne meant to make women swoon at his feet.

  Not that Denni had ever swooned in her life. She sure wasn’t going to start now, especially not for Hart.

  “I take it your friend isn’t from around here,” Denni said, observing the woman’s short skirt, cropped coat and made-up face. She looked like someone who was trying desperately to recapture her youth and failing quite spectacularly.

  “No, you’re correct in your assessment that she isn’t from around here,” Hart said, watching Denni as she worked tidying up her counter space. As she wrapped fabric back on a bolt, he watched her fingers smooth the material. Her blond head was bent down, but he could see the soft curve of her cheek, the slender column of her neck. If he was ever going to fall for another woman, it would be one like Denni.

  Classy, fun and spirited, the lively woman didn’t come close to looking her age. Her face was natural and fresh, her hair stylishly trimmed, and she always looked trendy but with a sophisticated flair. It was obvious she was completely devoted to her three sons and their growing families, as well as her friends and aging mother.

  Although Hart hadn’t spent any time alone with Denni, when he’d spoken with her at community gatherings or across the dinner table at the Triple T Ranch, he found her to be intelligent and witty. She’d made him laugh on numerous occasions.

  Lovely, kind, and a little on the sassy side, Denni Thompson was an engaging widow who should have long ago remarried. According to the local gossip, she’d nearly died from a broken heart right after she buried her beloved husband.

  Greatly missed in the little community, no one seemed to blame Denni for leaving the ranch and starting over in The Dalles where she could try to get on with her life.

  Hart understood that more than most people ever could.

  Admiring how beautiful Denni looked with light streaming in the store windows and surrounding her in a special golden aura, he was momentarily transfixed.

  Lost in watching her, he failed to notice Mona approach and put a proprietary claw on his arm. “Isn’t this store quaint,” Mona said in the voice Hart was pretty sure would give him nightmares. “Let’s get our card stamped and move on.”

  Denni smiled and stamped Mona’s card, thanking her for coming in.

  Hart walked Mona to the door where Chris waited with Richard. Leaving the store, they entered a jewelry store down the block. While Mona fawned over some big, gaudy ring, Hart quietly made his way back to Denni’s shop. She was putting away fabric by the door when he entered.

  “Forget something?” she asked, surprised to see Hart again so soon.

  “Yes, I did,” Hart said, glancing around the store, trying to find some excuse for coming back in. He couldn’t explain it, but he felt drawn to Denni and decided he wanted to get to know her better. Just as friends. A guy could never have too many friends, unless of course they set him up on dates with man-hunting females interested in bagging him.

  Looking at a display on the wall across the store, Hart found his reason for returning. “I want to buy a quilt. Are those for sale?”

  Denni looked at the quilts hanging from racks on the wall, not convinced she heard Hart correctly. The man was worth a fortune, could buy the finest of everything, and he wanted to buy one of her quilts. “You want a quilt?”

  “I sure do. I’ve seen a few of your masterpieces around Grass Valley. I’d like to have one,” Hart said, walking to the display and really looking at them. He was correct in calling them masterpieces because it was evident Denni was very talented in her work. He couldn’t imagine making such tiny, perfect stitches. He could barely thread a needle to sew on a missing button. “I’m still furnishing my house and I haven’t even started on the guest rooms.”

  Wondering how many bedrooms were in Hart’s fancy new house, Denni instead asked him about colors, the size of the bed, what sort of decorating scheme he was going after. He answered her questions, but his gaze kept coming back to a teal and brown quilt.

  “I like this one,” he said, holding it away from the rest and studying the design. “Is it for sale?”

  Yes, of course,” Denni said, taking it off the rack and handing it to Hart to examine. “Are you sure you want a quilt?”

  “Positive,” Hart said, placing the quilt on the counter while he took out his wallet. “I want my house to feel homey, not stuffy. I think quilts are a good way to go about that, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do,” Denni said, finding it hard to believe Hart would know that a quilt could provide a warm welcome to guests. Unlike fancy comforters or duvets, Denni thought quilts had the ability to make a guest feel relaxed and at home.

  “What’s the pattern?” Hart asked, placing his hand on the quilt, enjoying the soft feel of the fabric beneath his fingers.

  “Shoo Fly,” Denni said, trying to hide her grin when Hart’s friend stuck her head in the door and called to him.

  “That is particularly appropriate,” Hart said, gathering up the quilt Denni placed in a bag, wishing he could tell Mona to shoo. “Thank you, Denni.”

  “Thank you, Hart. I hope you enjoy the quilt.”

  “I’m sure I will,” Hart managed to say before Mona grabbed his arm and tugged him out the door and down the sidewalk

  If Denni didn’t know better, she might have thought Hart was showing some interest in her. He obviously just wanted a quilt. Besides, if the woman with him today was any indication of the type of women that interested him, Denni wished him lots of luck.

  Chapter Three

  “One of the hardest things in life

  is having words in your heart

  that you can't utter.”

  James Earl Jones

  Finding a space in the church’s graveled parking lot, Denni grabbed her purse and hurried in the door. Heading to the pew where she’d sat with Drew nearly every Sunday during their marriage, she was glad to see an empty spot next to Cass.

  Focused on her granddaughter, Denni hurried to take a seat next to the child, oblivious to the man sitting on the end of the pew. Trey gave her an odd look and pointed to his watch from the other side of Cass. Denni mouthed “traffic” just as the pastor stepped up to the pulpit and began the morning service.

  Scooting her purse beneath her seat, Denni decided she would roast crammed into their full row if she didn’t remove her coat. Quickly unfastening the buttons, she began to work her arm free when Trey reached across Cass and helped her take it off one shoulder. She turned to remove the other side only to look into the warm blue eyes of Hart.

  Giving him an appreciative nod as he held her sleeve while she slid out her arm, she couldn’t believe her boys had invited him to sit in their pew. They knew how she felt about any matchmaking schemes and when they went to the ranch for lunch, she would make it clear, once again, that she wasn’t interested in dating any man. Even if the touch of his hand through her suit jacket was sending warm tendrils of sensation curling down to her fingers and across her shoulders.

  When Cass squirmed off the pew and wiggled her way between Denni and Hart, smiling up at the man with her big china blue eyes, Denni decided the little girl had no doubt asked Hart to sit with them.

  Looking down the pew, she smiled at Trey and Cady as well as Trent and his wife, Lindsay, who was still suffering from morning sickness. The poor girl seemed to be sick most of the day instead of only in the morning.

  Due with their first child at the end of May, everyone was excited at the prospect of a new baby to cuddle and love. Denni had already started a baby quilt and her mother, Ester, was busy crocheting any number of things for the newest Thompson.

  Denni glanced across the aisle to see Travis and his wife, Tess, sitting with her family. Tess’ brother Brice had his arm wrapped around Denni’s niece Bailey, as she sat tucked against his side. Engaged since Thanksgiving, the couple had plans for an April wedding at the ranch.

  Considering the fact her three boys all wed in the last year and Brice and Bailey would soon marry, she was starting to wonder if there really was something in the water at the Triple T. The community gossip indicated something potent bubbled in the well at the ranch.

  Smiling at the direction her thoughts had taken, she turned her focus back to the pastor’s sermon. Feeling a small hand slide into hers, Denni gently squeezed Cass’s fingers then leaned down and kissed the vibrant child on her button nose.

  After the service and a time of fellowship with cookies and cider in the church’s hall, Denni walked to her car accompanied by Cass, who was chatting a mile a minute. Since she took any opportunity that arose to spend time with the lively little girl, Denni kept a booster seat in her car for Cass as well as several changes of clothes at her house. She often drove to the ranch house after church with Cass giving her a rundown on what was happening at the Triple T, school, and in her little world.

  Following Cass’ visit two Sunday’s ago, Denni hadn’t seen much of her granddaughter and anticipated a lively chat on the way to the ranch. Opening the back door for Cass to climb in, the little girl spun around and ran off with a hasty goodbye. Denni watched Cady hustle Cass into their pickup with a sly grin.

  Looking around, Denni saw her youngest daughter-in-law approaching with a reluctant Hart in tow. She didn’t know what Tess was up to, but she knew she wasn’t going to like it.

  “Hart’s joining us for lunch. Would you mind giving him a ride?” Tess asked, giving her mother-in-law an innocent smile. “His pickup had a flat this morning and we brought him to church, but Brice and Bailey are riding home with us so it’s going to be crowded.”

  “Sure, climb in,” Denni said, ready to throttle the young woman who gave her a smug look and walked away. “It appears my family is quite taken with you.”

  “The feeling is mutual,” Hart said, buckling his seat belt and casting a sideways glance at Denni. Her blond hair gleamed in the midday light, her eyes sparkled with life and she looked lovely with a floral scarf around her neck that softened the tailored cut of her bright pink suit. Quickly buttoning her navy coat, he watched as she slipped on gloves and started the car. “You raised a nice family, Denni.”

  “Thank you,” Denni said, following the pickups her boys were driving onto the highway and south of town toward their ranch. “They’re good boys and they married wonderful girls. I’m very fortunate and blessed.”

  “That you are,” Hart commented, realizing Denni Thompson had not only a handsome family; she also had a very kind, loving one. He’d seen the way her sons worked closely together with respect, honesty and integrity. Not all families had that.

  All three of the girls who married her boys were sweet, gentle, and smart. There wasn’t a lazy one in the whole bunch and Hart liked that they played as hard as they worked.

  The Thompsons might know a thing or two about running a successful ranch, but they also knew how to have fun. He’d enjoyed more than one Sunday afternoon with them, which is why he didn’t refuse when they invited him to lunch today.

  Learning weeks ago that they really didn’t mind one more around the table, Hart thought Cady was about the best cook he’d ever met. That girl knew her way around a kitchen and only an idiot would turn down the opportunity to take advantage of her cooking. Hart may be a lot of things, but stupid wasn’t one of them.

  “Where’s your friend?” Denni asked, thinking Hart really had bad taste in women. No wonder he was single.

  “What friend?” Hart asked, looking at her quizzically.

  “The woman who was with you yesterday,” Denni said, wondering about the scantily clad woman she’d seen him escorting around downtown.

  Hart’s chuckle caught her by surprise and she turned her head his direction. “That…person,” Hart finally found a word he could use and not offend Denni “is no friend of mine. Someone who claims to be a friend coerced me into being her date. She and his wife have a mutual friend who was getting married last night. Evidently, they’d been out of touch for several years and had no idea she’d be such a…um, interesting individual. Richard took pity on me and assured his wife and Mona that I was not feeling well and needed to go home after spending all afternoon carrying her bags from store to store yesterday. That was absolutely true by that point, so I was glad to escape her clutches.”

  Denni was trying not to laugh. Hart could see it bubbling up inside her, ready to spill out.

  When he said “go on,” Denni erupted into a fit of laughter that sounded like music to Hart’s ears. He hadn’t realized how much he enjoyed hearing her voice.

  Once her laughter subsided, Denni grinned. “So I take it she isn’t your typical choice in a date.”

  “You wound me, Denni,” Hart said, looking solemn, although the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth gave him away. “Do you really think I’m interested in what she had to offer?”

  “No,” Denni said, parking her car near the mudroom door at the Triple T. “I admit I couldn’t quite believe you’d willingly be out with a woman like that, but there you were.”

  “Yeah? The next time a well-meaning friend tries to set me up, I’m sticking to my guns and refusing,” Hart said, getting out of the car and waiting for Denni. Her boys were already in the house, having raced down the frozen driveway to see who would get home first.

  Going in the mudroom door, Denni and Hart hung their coats on pegs then went into the kitchen where the delicious smells of Cady’s meal filled the air.

  Cass gave Denni a quick hug around her waist before grabbing Hart’s hand and tugging him toward the great room where the guys were hanging out.

  Pushing up the sleeves of her suit jacket, Denni opened a drawer and took out an apron, tying it around her trim waist.

  “What can I do to help?” she asked Cady who was slicing a roast while Tess made gravy and Bailey made a salad.

  “Mash the potatoes?” Cady asked, nodding her head toward a pot sitting on the stove.

  Denni took cream and butter out of the fridge and set to work mashing the potatoes. She didn’t know how Cady managed to look after Cass, volunteer at school, keep up the house, and cook two big meals a day. When Denni was the woman of the house, she always had the help of a housekeeper and cook. Then again, she had set a pan or two on fire back in her younger days while Cady trained as a chef for a while before she decided to go to business school.

  Looking around, she noticed Lindsay was missing from the group of women.

  “Where’s Lindsay? Is she still not feeling well?”

  “No. She’s resting in the parlor,” Cady said, finishing with the meat and rinsing her hands. “I thought the morning sickness eventually went away. I’ve never heard of someone who had it all day long this far into their pregnancy. Do you think everything is okay?”

  “I’m sure her doctor would let her know if she thought anything was wrong,” Denni said, scooping the potatoes into a serving bowl. “Each pregnancy is different and since this is Lindsay’s first, it’s going to be hard to tell what’s normal for her.”

  “Just think, by the time school is out, we’ll have a brand new baby to play with,” Tess said, her big chocolate brown eyes taking on a soft glow. Married in October to Travis, they weren’t quite ready to start a family, but she loved the thought of having a baby to hold and cuddle until they were.

  “If that baby turns out to be a boy, those three cousins of mine won’t know what to do with themselves,” Bailey observed as she sliced a cucumber for the salad.

  “They’ll have him out roping and riding before he can walk or talk,” Cady observed with a grin. “I think everyone is excited about a new generation of Thompson’s entering the world.”

  Wiping her hands on a towel, Denni put her hand on Cady’s arm. “Cass is a Thompson, too, and no one will forget that. She’s the first of the next generation.”

  “I know, Denni,” Cady said, appreciating her mother-in-law’s concern over their feelings in regard to Cass. “It’s just that we’ll get to experience this baby from day one instead of coming onto the scene when she’s already five. Trey and I are grateful every day for Cass and the way you all include her as a true Thompson.”

  “How could we not?” Tess asked, looking toward the great room and grinning. “She’s definitely a lot like the men in this family.”

  Cady rolled her eyes to see Cass riding Trey’s leg like a bucking bronc while Trent, Travis, Brice and Hart cheered her on. Her frilly dress wasn’t exactly meant to be worn for rough-housing, but the guys would make sure she didn’t get it too rumpled or dirty playing around.

  “That she is,” Denni said with a loving smile.

  “Shall we get the food on the table and feed these hungry men?” Cady asked, carrying the meat platter to the big dining room table that broke up the space between the kitchen and great room. With the ability to seat more than a dozen people and still leave elbowroom, the table was often filled to capacity.