Catching the Cowboy: A Small-Town Clean Romance (Summer Creek Book 1) Read online

  As soon as his daughter was out of earshot, he turned to Jossy. “Well?”

  “That’s truly a deep, dark subject.” She buttered another muffin and took a bite while Hud fought back the urge to holler at her. His impatience and her determination to tease him weren’t mixing well this morning.

  He looked from Jossy to his grandmother. Nell merely eyed him over the rim of her coffee cup.

  “Huddy looks like he’s about to combust,” Jossy said, winking at Nell, then turning back to her brother. “If you want my assessment of your guest, I think she’s polite, smart, witty, and probably feeling like she’s been abandoned in a foreign land. Give her a little slack. How would you like it if the roles were reversed and you found yourself being forced to spend the day working in an office or courtroom?”

  “I’d die.” Hud shoved the last bite of his muffin in his mouth.

  “My point exactly.” Jossy lowered her voice to a whisper. “I don’t see anything wrong in letting her spend time with Cricket. She seems harmless enough.”

  “That’s my feeling and Grammy’s, but I wanted your opinion before we leave her alone with Cricket.”

  “I think it’s safe. If you’re that worried about it, you could always install a security camera in the house or use Cricket’s baby monitor to keep tabs on her.” Jossy looked toward the mudroom where occasional bits and pieces of Emery’s conversation drifted to them.

  “I’m not sure how much range the monitor would have. Maybe I could … ”

  Cricket raced back to the table at the same time Emery returned from her telephone call, cutting off Hud’s thoughts. Tears glistened in Emery’s eyes, causing Hud to wonder what she and her father had discussed. He assumed it was probably similar to the conversation they had yesterday when he and Henry prepared to leave. She’d begged to return with them, and her father refused. He couldn’t blame Emery for being upset. Then again, she was facing the consequences of her poor decisions.

  “Time to head out to catch the bus,” Hud said, wiping his mouth on a napkin, then standing.

  “I’ll take her.” Jossy stood and carried a handful of plates to the sink. “I need to head back home anyway.”

  “Yippee! I get to go with Aunt Jossy.” Cricket danced around the table.

  Hud picked her up when she pirouetted past him. “You be a good girl and have a great day at school.”

  “I will, Daddy!” Cricket hugged him around the neck, kissed his cheek, then he set her down. “Bye, Grammy! Bye, Emery!”

  She took Jossy’s hand and tugged her out the back door.

  “I better get back to work, too.” Hud set his dirty dishes in the sink. He turned around and smacked into Emery. He caught the empty muffin basket he had knocked out of her hand before it clattered to the floor. She clutched the bowl the scrambled eggs had been in, as though she’d nearly dropped it.

  “Sorry,” he muttered. Careful to sidestep past her and avoid the possibility of coming in contact with her again, he placed the basket on the counter, then edged away.

  The sparks popping around the kitchen like loopy lightning bugs terrified him. Emery Brighton was a menace, annoyance, and useless when it came to anything he regarded important to know.

  For the life of him, he couldn’t begin to understand why he felt so drawn to her, so intrigued by her.

  Lest he do or say something he shouldn’t, he hustled outside to the safety of his ranch work. As he saddled Ajax, he wondered how in the world he was supposed to put up with Emery under his roof for another day let alone several months.

  Chapter Nine

  Emery had been in Summer Creek a week and needed to send her uncle and probation officer her first report. Hud let her use his office computer to write the report, but despite his best efforts, they couldn’t get a Wi-Fi connection to send it.

  He told her one of them would make sure she got the report sent on time, but she assumed he’d forgotten about it when he’d disappeared after breakfast and didn’t return until mid-morning. Nell had left an hour earlier to check on an elderly neighbor further up the road toward the mountains. Although Nell had invited Emery to go along, she’d refused, relishing the idea of having a few minutes to herself.

  She’d just put another load of clothes in the washing machine when Hud opened the mudroom door and stepped inside, oblivious to her presence.

  He removed his coat and boots, leaving them by the door, before he tugged on the front of his shirt. Snaps popped open and he slid the shirt off the broadest, most muscular set of shoulders Emery had ever seen. Her mouth flooded with moisture and she swallowed hard as he turned around, shirt in his big hand. Surprise registered on his face when he noticed her folding clothes into a basket as she took them out of the dryer.

  A scowl made vertical lines appear on his forehead as he wadded the shirt into a ball and lobbed it into the hamper. “If you can be ready to go in ten minutes, you can ride into town with me and send your report.”

  Before she could reply, he strode out of the room.

  Emery blinked three times in an attempt to clear the vision of a bare-chested Hudson Cole from her mind. Even then, the image lingered. She dropped the towel she’d been folding into the basket, slammed the dryer door, and raced up the back steps to her room.

  Uncertain what would be appropriate to wear to town, she thought back to when she’d accompanied Hud, Cricket, and Nell to church Sunday. Nell had assured her a simple cotton dress or a skirt and sweater would be more than adequate. And the woman had been correct. Even though Emery had felt like an imposter in her new clothes, she’d worn a navy skirt with a pink sweater and had fit right in with the rest of the congregation.

  The last time she’d sat in a pew and listened to a sermon was so long ago she couldn’t even recall when it had happened. Much to her delight, she’d liked the pastor at Summer Creek Community Church and had taken the thoughts he shared about redemption to heart.

  Nell had introduced her to several people, discussing possibilities for community service work, before Hud had given her an impatient glower, and they’d returned to the ranch. When Nell had told her she could have the rest of the day to do whatever she liked, Emery spent a good part of the afternoon reading. She’d wandered downstairs in time to help Nell with dinner, which had turned out to be leftovers from Saturday.

  In spite of her many blunders, Emery had learned so many valuable lessons from Nell in the past week. The woman had taught her everything from how to get manure out of jeans, an onerous task she loathed, to the easiest way to get sticky molasses out of a measuring cup. Nell had made Emery feel welcome and needed, even if her grandson continued to either ignore her or glare at her.

  Emery slipped on a floral-printed coral blouse, tugged a navy-blue cardigan over it, and changed into the nicest pair of jeans she currently owned. Quickly yanking the ponytail holder out of her hair, she tipped her head upside down and teased her hair with her fingers, gave it a blast of hairspray, then stood upright. A light spritz of her favorite perfume, which she’d thankfully had in her handbag when her uncle and father had kidnapped her, completed her preparations. She shoved her feet into a pair of ballerina flats, grabbed her handbag, then hastily left the room and made her way downstairs.

  Hud stood at the kitchen sink, downing a glass of water when she walked into the room. He didn’t look at her but pointed to the counter where he’d set a laptop computer and a flash drive.

  “Your report is on there,” he said, then turned and walked into the mudroom.

  Emery grabbed the laptop, dropped the flash drive into her handbag, and hurried to catch up to the gruff rancher. It was a shame someone as fantastically attractive as Hud had the personality of a cranky bear, at least toward her. He was all smiles when it came to Cricket, though.

  The way the cowboy cared for his daughter made Emery wonder if he’d been that devoted to the child’s mother. No one discussed Bethany, and Emery hadn’t seen a single photo of her. Despite her curiosity, she didn’t fee
l right prying information out of Nell when the subject of Hud’s deceased wife seemed to be taboo.

  Hud had already started the pickup by the time Emery opened the passenger door and climbed up on the seat. She didn’t have a chance to fasten her seatbelt before he backed around and started down the driveway.

  “In a rush?” she asked in irritation, unable to keep her thoughts to herself.

  His head never varied an inch in position, but his eyes shifted to glance at her. “I’m generally in a rush, Miss Brighton. There are never enough hours in a day to get all my work done, and I don’t have time to wait for lollygaggers.”

  “Why don’t you hire some help?”

  His right eyebrow shifted upward. “Isn’t that what I did last week?”

  Heat burned across her cheeks. Hud hadn’t mentioned it, but she was sure he had no idea his grandmother had invited her to stay at Summer Creek Ranch until the moment she’d arrived. She was the last person he’d willingly hire for help.

  She certainly hadn’t been much help to anyone, even inside the house. Nell had attempted to teach her a variety of skills. After a week, Emery felt capable enough to help with the laundry and housekeeping but feared the disaster that might occur if she attempted cooking again.

  Afraid of what she might encounter if she got beyond the boundaries of the nicely-tended yard, Emery had barely stuck her nose past the edge of the lawn. The ranch dogs were friendly, and she loved horses, but the cattle scared her. Cricket had talked her into going to watch the calves run and play in the pasture Saturday afternoon, and they had been cute, but she didn’t trust their mamas.

  In the week she’d been at the ranch she was sure she’d cost the family immeasurable time and aggravation. On top of the missteps on her first day at the ranch, she’d also damaged the vacuum cleaner, unraveled an afghan, and broken a faucet. Nell had laughed it all off, but Emery had felt like a clumsy dunce. She’d never been so out of her element, so lacking in confidence, as she had since arriving in Summer Creek.

  Hud’s presence only made things worse. His feelings toward her, his dislike of her, was not a secret. He practically glowered if he was forced to be within a dozen feet of her. Yet, she could tell something sizzled between the two of them anytime they were in the same room together.

  Even now, she could practically see the energy, or whatever it was, zipping between the two of them in Hud’s pickup cab.

  His determination to ignore it fueled her own intentions to stay far away from the cowboy. As soon as she completed her community service, or convinced her father to let her come home, she’d head back to Portland and do her best to forget she’d ever been dragged to the wilds of Oregon to find her purpose in life. At least that was how Uncle Henry referred to the reason she’d been left in Summer Creek when he’d called to speak with her last night.

  Emery studied the landscape as they turned onto the road into town. She felt so exposed in the sagebrush-dotted countryside where she could see for miles and miles and the sky seemed to go on forever. It was beautiful, in a rugged, incredibly untamed way. Rather like her current employer. If he’d worn a loincloth, carried a club, and grunted like a cavedweller, it wouldn’t have shocked her in the least. A few times, she thought he’d behaved with all the decorum of a Neanderthal.

  Surreptitiously, she cast a glimpse across the pickup. Water droplets clung to the ends of Hud’s hair, making her want to reach out and flick them away. Earlier, when he’d stepped into the mudroom and announced his trip to town, he’d carried the odors of manure and hard work. Now, he smelled like soap, sunshine, and leather. Puzzled by his ability to take a shower and get ready to go in less time than it took her to change her clothes, she wondered how he managed to move so quickly.

  She drew in a deep breath, reveling in his masculine scent. He might be boorish, but he did smell nice, making her glad he’d taken a fast shower. Stubble covered his cheeks, but not enough to hide the alluring dimple in his chin. The blue plaid shirt he wore accented the rich blue hue of his eyes, and she couldn’t help but admire his thick, dark eyelashes or the sculpted shape of his lips.

  Distracted by him, by his masculinity and strong bearing, she turned her gaze outside the window once again. The farms grew smaller, and the houses clustered closer together as they neared Summer Creek.

  The goat she’d seen when she first arrived in town stood on top of the stagecoach in front of the bar and grill, eating what appeared to be a bright yellow tube sock. Emery gawked at it, causing Hud to chuckle.

  “That’s Ethel. No one is certain who the goat belongs to, but she’s harmless and spends most of her time at the school so the kids can pet her, or at the vet clinic where she keeps the other animals company.”

  Emery turned from watching the goat to look at Hud. A rare smile transformed his features and made her swallow hard. She nodded once, then looked out the window as he drove down Main Street. They hadn’t gone anywhere Sunday except to church, so all she’d seen were Main Street and the buildings along Sixth Avenue that took them to Summer Creek Community Church.

  Nell had told her there used to be several churches in town. Due to so many people leaving and the cost of repairs, all but the community church had closed.

  Hud turned into a parking lot located in front of what had to be the city center. Old buildings, in various stages of disrepair, congregated in a U shape around a broken fountain. Emery could almost picture what it might have looked like a hundred years ago, when the buildings and fountain were new. Rather than asphalt and parking spaces, there most likely had been grass and paved pathways. Perhaps even a wooden boardwalk connecting the buildings.

  “I bet this used to be lovely.”

  Hud gazed through the windshield at the buildings in front of them. “From the photos I’ve seen, it was.”

  It wasn’t until he replied that she realized she’d spoken her thoughts aloud.

  Hud got out of the pickup while Emery unfastened her seatbelt and gathered her handbag and the laptop. Much to her surprise, he walked around the vehicle and opened her door then offered her a hand climbing down.

  The impact of his touch made her feel as though an electrical current zinged from her palm up to her shoulder. Her breath caught and her entire body tingled until he released her hand and stepped back with a frown. He cleared his throat, reached in the pickup for his cowboy hat and set it on his head, then pointed across the street.

  “You can send your report at the library. They generally have a good signal in City Hall.”

  Emery kept step with him as they crossed the street and walked up the broad steps into City Hall. In the marbled entry, she glanced up a set of stairs straight ahead, and took in the steps heading down a level to their left.

  “The library is upstairs. This level is the community center and City Hall. The basement is full of old records and storage boxes. You go on upstairs, and I’ll be there in a minute. The password to connect to the Wi-Fi is summercreek, all one word.”

  Emery took a step toward the stairs and looked at Hud. “Do they just randomly give the password to anyone?”

  He grinned. “Everyone. And it hasn’t changed in the last ten years.” Hud turned to the right and entered the City Hall offices while Emery marveled at the wonders of small-town life and made her way upstairs to the library.

  No one was there, and the lights were turned off, but the door was open. Emery felt along the wall and found a light switch, flicking it on. Fluorescent bulbs hummed to life, illuminating a large room filled with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. A desk with a computer sat at an angle facing the door. There were half a dozen small tables with two chairs at each one scattered along the front of the room and a colorful child-sized table in the front corner.

  Emery took a seat at the table closest to the door, turned on the laptop, and connected to the Wi-Fi. She fished the flash drive from her handbag, pulled up her report, then logged into the new email account her father had set up for her.

  She read an
email from Uncle Henry with the contact information for her probation officer and quickly sent a polite introductory letter to Officer Simpson. She attached her report, copied her uncle on the email, and hit send.

  While she had online access, she tried to log in to her favorite social media account, only to discover her father had either deleted it or changed the password. Annoyed, she discovered he’d locked her out of every account.

  “Not cool, Dad,” she muttered as she opened a new window on the computer and typed her name in a search bar. Before she could click on a video of her with her exposed rear in the air while she tried to get off Officer Tipton’s horse, Hud appeared in the doorway with a man who looked to be half his size and at least twice his age. Quickly, she turned off the computer, humiliated by the thought of anyone in Summer Creek seeing her at her worst. One day, she’d get back at Gwen and Charlotte for posting the videos and making a spectacle of her.

  Today, though, she needed to make the best of her current situation. She forced herself to smile at the two men as they walked toward her.

  “Emery Brighton, this is Mayor Mitchell Kane.”

  The bald-headed man with kind brown eyes and a welcoming grin stepped forward and shook her hand. “Welcome to Summer Creek, Miss Brighton. I meant to speak with you at church, but you left before I had a chance. We’re happy to have you here with us. Hud explained your unique circumstance and need to put in community service hours. I think we can find plenty to keep you busy.”

  “Thank you, Mayor Kane. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Emery gave the hometown politician a pleasant smile. Even though the mayor was closer to her height than Hud’s, he looked to be in good shape and had what she could only think of as an engaging, big personality. One that no doubt put him in good stead as mayor of the town.

  “In addition to his mayoral duties, Mitch owns the barbershop and the locksmith shop, both of which are located two blocks north, across the street from the post office,” Hud said, then glanced at his watch. “Did you get your report sent?”