Cook County Cowboys Read online

  “Hey, you took a horn to the gut.” Lucky clamped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “Nobody will think any less of you if you never get back in the arena. I’ve only got another year or two in me myself. We’re getting too old for this crap. I’m going to collect some good sized purses to set myself up and that’s it. We’ll both be done with it.”

  Chance grinned. “You actually don’t seem so stupid today. Must be sober.”

  “Yep.” Lucky chuckled. “I’ll have you know I’ve come up with some brilliant ideas while drunk.”

  “Name one.”

  “How am I supposed to remember what I think when I’ve been drinking?”

  Chance laughed, but quickly sobered. “So, you’re dealing with what happened better?”

  “I’m getting there.” Lucky sighed. “I’m glad you’re back. I really, really hope you decide to stay this time.”

  Chance nodded, unable to state what he’d do. He had a lot to work out in his head. Glancing over at his brother, he saw the concern in Lucky’s eyes and felt even worse for considering leaving. “What? Don’t tell me you want to hug or something?”

  Lucky laughed as he rose from the table and sniffed an armpit. “I smell like shit. I’m going home to shower and change.”

  Jimmy Seeley pulled up in his truck and stepped out, dressed in overalls and a T-shirt, ready to get started on the work Chance had assigned him. “Hey, Lucky. There’s some woman in town been asking about you.”

  Lucky raised an eyebrow. “What woman?”

  “Evelyn Case. Red-head, real pretty. Ain’t never seen her around here before.”

  Lucky’s face drained of color, setting off alarm bells in Chance’s gut. “Lucky, what is it? Who’s Evelyn Case?”

  Lucky swallowed hard before looking at him. “Probably Sylvie Case’s relative.”

  “The woman who killed herself?”

  Lucky nodded, not saying anything until Jimmy had passed by them, headed toward the fence Chance had told him to get started on. “The sheriff told me some woman had been calling, trying to find out how to contact me. Guess she figured she’d come here and sniff me out.”

  Chance closed his eyes and shook his head. His brother wasn’t to blame for a woman killing herself and it seemed as if he was finally getting that into his head. Now came this. “I can go with you to meet her.”

  Lucky smiled and shook his head. “I’m cool. I can deal with it. You have your own problems, speaking of which…” He jerked his head to indicate the approaching red sports car that maneuvered up the long drive to park next to his truck. “I believe that is…yep. Will Clark. The man who is going to marry your woman unless you stop it.”

  Chance studied the man who stepped out of the fancy and incredibly impractical car. He had close-cut dark hair and wore a white polo shirt and black slacks with shiny black shoes, which would be covered in dirt if he hung around the ranch long. The man walked toward them and Chance noticed that with the guy’s height of five foot eight, Kenzie would be taller than him in heels. The thought made Chance grin, though he imagined it looked more like a snarl as tight as his teeth were clenched together.

  “You all right, Chance? Your knuckles are blinding me.”

  He looked down to see his fists balled up so tight the knuckles shone white. “I’m fine,” he answered, flexing his hands as he rose from the table.

  “Yeah, well, I’m out to clean up and find this woman. It’s time to deal with this crap. If you accidently kill the guy, I hope you have someone who can pay your bail, because I’m broke.” With a snicker, Lucky headed for his truck, nodding at the pretty boy visitor as they passed.

  “Chance Masters?”

  “Yeah,” he answered as the man approached, hand held out.

  “Will Clark.”

  Chance hesitated, raw anger inside him demanding he send the man packing, but took a deep breath instead and shook the bastard’s hand, squeezing it extra firm. “Breakfast is probably ready.”

  “Yeah.” Will frowned, his beady little brown eyes narrowed. “You eat inside the house with Mac?”

  Who the hell was Mac? “I’m helping Kenzie out with the ranch. Instead of paying me, we’ve worked out an arrangement for meals and board.”

  “Oh, well, aren’t you cheap?” Will laughed as he turned and headed for the house. “I guess when times are hard, you take what you can get.”

  Chance let the comment slide, picking up on the hostility the man radiated. He obviously saw him as a threat. Smart man.

  Kenzie glanced up from the stove as they entered the kitchen, her cheeks blossoming pink as her gaze skimmed over Will’s to meet Chance’s full on. “Oh…hi. You two have met.”

  “Well, we’ve met, but I haven’t shared the news,” Will answered before Chance could open his mouth.

  He leaned against the counter with his arms crossed—partly to keep from pummeling the guy—as Will slid behind Kenzie and wrapped his arms around her waist. “News?” Chance kept his voice calm despite his raging fury at having to watch another man touch the woman he now realized he could never replace with another.

  “Mackenzie has agreed to marry me,” Will announced smugly as Kenzie discreetly removed his hands from her waist and turned back toward the stove. “I hear you’ve worked on her father’s ranch a long time so I imagine you must be thrilled. I know she was just a little girl when you started here. You must think of her as a daughter.”

  “Not really, considering I was only ten when she was born, but she is very special to me.” Chance met her gaze as she looked back at him, green eyes full of emotion. He couldn’t name them all, but he was sure guilt and regret swam around in the mix. He thought he saw a sliver of hope in there, too, but that may have been wishful thinking. His stomach churned at the thought of his Kenzie marrying this guy. Had he finally pushed her too far?

  “Yes, she is very special.” Will leaned over to kiss Kenzie and she turned her head just in time for his lips to miss hers and land on her cheek. Chance nearly broke a tooth gritting his teeth so hard.

  “Breakfast is done.” Kenzie hurried to fill their plates with bacon, eggs and sausage, and filled their glasses with juice as they sat down to share the meal.

  Will took the seat next to Kenzie’s, leaving Chance to sit across from her in the same damn chair he’d sat in ten years before. He prayed that whatever he did while sitting in it this time wouldn’t have the same result.

  “So,” Will said after a bite of bacon, “I saw Lucky Masters leaving when I got here. That’s your brother, right?”

  “Yes.” Chance’s hand tightened around his fork. He’d put up with the man’s snide comments, but if he pushed it too far, particularly in regard to his brother, things were going to get ugly, fast.

  “I heard about that tragic mess with the woman at the motel.” Will shook his head, lips thinned. “I guess that’s what happens when you run around with buckle bunnies. I myself have always made sure women I date are of high moral character.”

  “Buckle bunnies are women who go to rodeos in search of a good time,” Kenzie said before Chance could come to his brother’s defense. Her cheeks flushed red. “Lucky hadn’t been in a rodeo when that happened. And for all we know, the woman didn’t even know he was a bare back rider. Besides, what happened could have happened to anyone. It certainly wasn’t Lucky’s fault.”

  “Oh, of course not,” Will said quickly, obviously realizing he’d just pissed off his brand new fiancée. “I’m just saying that it’s never a good idea to pick up women in bars. You never know what you might get.” He put special emphasis on the last word while looking at Chance.

  “You mean like lots of practice to make you better?” Chance smiled tightly as he saw the redness rise in Will’s cheeks. “Thank goodness there’s all kinds of ways to protect yourself, huh? I guess you wouldn’t know about that.” Chance sat back, grinning, as he waited to see which route the little prick would take. He could say he wouldn’t know, making himself seem more honorable i
n Kenzie’s eyes, yet simultaneously admitting Chance would be the better and more knowledgeable lover, or he could say he did know, basically undermining everything he’d just said. Either way, he lost.

  Will opened his mouth, but paused without uttering a single word. Chance could see the wheels turning in the man’s head as he tried to come up with a clever comeback. Finally, Will threw in the towel and started back in on his breakfast, stabbing the fork into an egg much harder than necessary.

  A flare of victory shot through Chance’s chest. He would have beamed if not for the indigestion he experienced from being repulsed by the man’s cowardice. How could Kenzie choose such a man for marriage? Why would she want to breed with a man who would pass such pitiful traits down to her children? He fought the urge to ask, and resumed eating, the uneasy silence grating his nerves.

  It was Kenzie who broke the silence. “Chance, I have to go into town with Will after breakfast, but I’ve loaded up all the financial records on the computer in the den and printed out all the records from last year in regard to breeding. I know we didn’t get a chance to go over them last night.” She blushed heavily. “Is there anything else you need to see?”

  “I shouldn’t need anything else. A lot of what I need to see is out there in the pen anyway.”

  “Selling off the cattle?” Will asked.

  Chance barely held back a chuckle watching the man dab his mouth delicately with a napkin. What a pansy.

  “Chance is going to help me get the herd built back up.”

  “You mean breed more of them?” Will looked at her incredulously.

  “Yes.”

  “Why?” Will smiled. “Baby, I make enough money to support both of us. Why waste time with the herd when you can sell them off and be done with all this in time for our honeymoon. We can use the money and go to Barbados, or maybe Paris.”

  Chance sat back in his seat to watch the fireworks.

  Kenzie carefully put down her fork. “Will, this land was my father’s and it’s all I have left of him. I know you don’t know anything about ranching, but we can hire a crew of ranch hands to take care of everything.”

  “And who’s going to make sure they’re doing their jobs? I have my own career to deal with. And once we have children, you’re going to be busy with them.”

  Kenzie took a deep breath. “I grew up on this ranch and my daddy managed it and me just fine, even after my mama died.”

  Will smiled. “Mac, baby, we can come out here for vacations, I suppose…but my home is much more appropriate for entertaining, which I have to do a lot in order to move up in my profession.”

  “You’re an accountant.”

  “An accountant who works with very important people, and intends to keep doing that.” He covered Kenzie’s hand with his pasty white one. “You know what, babe. We’ll work it out and let you keep this place. Though once you get that shiny diamond on your finger and settle in to our home, I’m sure you won’t even miss this place at all.”

  Kenzie’s lips thinned in a straight line, but she didn’t say anything as she cleared the table and put the dishes in the sink. Will admired her rear—which brought Chance’s blood to a boil—before turning his attention to him.

  “We haven’t set a date yet, but I’m planning on getting Mac into the church as soon as possible so we can get started on babies. How about you, Masters? Planning on getting a place of your own and a family, or are you depending on Mac keeping this place and feeding you?”

  “Will!” Kenzie spun around from the sink, but froze as Chance came out of his chair and leaned over the table.

  The jackass had just pushed his last button.

  “First of all,” he said to the wide-eyed man sitting before him, “her name isn’t Mac, it’s Kenzie. Second, I’ve made some damn good money on the backs of bulls and have more than enough to buy my own ranch. Third, Kenzie will always have this ranch as long as she wants it.” He rose to his full height and looked straight at Kenzie. “And finally, I am getting married and having kids…with her.”

  Chapter Nine

  If she’d been holding a plate she would have dropped it. Instead, Kenzie stood gawking as Will sputtered in his seat for a minute before standing.

  “Maybe your old age has affected your hearing, Masters, but Mackenzie has agreed to marry me.”

  “Sit down, junior, before you step too far over the line and find yourself in the emergency room.” Chance’s eyes never left Kenzie’s, but he didn’t need them to carry off the threat to Will. His voice promised pain.

  “I will not. Mackenzie has made her decision.”

  “Has she?” Chance tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

  Kenzie’s breath hitched in her throat as she stared at him, standing before her in her kitchen in a tight black short sleeved button-down shirt that showcased his bulging, golden biceps and trim waist. Snug jeans encased powerful thighs, the product of years spent riding bulls and working on ranches. His large hands clenched into fists at his sides and she imagined the feel of them on her skin, rough from years of hard work, but gentle despite their size.

  His eyes burned blue fire, yet managed to plead. His aura filled the room, suffocating in its intensity. Next to him, Will was a skinny little toothpick he could use to clean his teeth after meals. All men were.

  But dammit, she couldn’t keep turning men away in hopes of finally snagging the man’s heart. “I’m tired of waiting, Chance. I want a husband, and a family.”

  He held out his hand. “Come with me and I’ll show you the real Chance Masters. If you still want me afterward, I’m all yours.”

  Her breath hitched. Could it finally be happening? Was Chance willing to allow himself to love?

  “That’s it!” Will sputtered. “You’ve mooned over this bum long enough, Mackenzie. If you don’t send him on his way right now I—”

  “Get off my land, Will.” Kenzie ripped her gaze off Chance long enough to spear Will with a withering glare. Listening to his insults this morning made her seriously question how she’d ever dated him. “And for the record, whether I marry him or not, Chance Masters is ten times the man you’ll ever be.”

  Will’s nostrils flared. “Wow, Mac. I never thought you were the type of woman to use a man like a toy.”

  Chance stepped closer to Will, his jaw ticking, and Kenzie held her hand out for him to stop. “Don’t, Chance.” She sighed, allowing the anger of Will’s criticism and rudeness toward Chance to dissipate. “I had every intention of marrying you, Will, but this morning has shown me that I was right the first time I refused your proposal. I thought I couldn’t say yes because part of me still waited on Chance, but I can see now that we just aren’t compatible. I could never give up my ranch, and I could never marry someone who has to put down others in order to feel superior.”

  Will nodded his head sharply and tossed a searing glare Chance’s way before rounding the table and crossing to the door. “I could have given you a lot, Mackenzie. I hope you aren’t throwing away a really good thing for someone who’s not going to take care of you.” He shot one more dirty look at Chance and walked out of the house, the door slamming behind him.

  The gleam of victory lit Chance’s eyes as he rounded the table to stand before her. Fear surged as he closed in, and Kenzie wondered if she would ever learn.

  The moment his hand rested along the small of her back, she shoved him away. “Why are you doing this?”

  His eyes widened as he regained his balance. “Doing what?”

  “Screwing with me.” Kenzie raked a trembling hand through her hair, pushing it back off her face. “I can’t keep waiting for you. I want a husband, a family. I deserve to be happy, and if you just ran him out of here with no intention of being with me—”

  Chance placed his index finger over her mouth, effectively shushing her outburst. “I didn’t run him off. You did, and you made the right choice. The guy’s a creep.” He leaned down and lightly pressed his lips against hers. “Com
e with me and we’ll see if you still want me.”

  “Why now?”

  Chance’s throat worked as he swallowed hard. “Seeing what I have to lose gave me the courage I needed to let you all the way in.”

  He cupped her face and kissed her long and slow, not letting up until her knees were jelly.

  “I’d rather take the chance on revealing myself to you and having you change your mind about me than let you walk away without a fight.”

  “Why do I have to go somewhere with you in order for you to reveal yourself to me? I know you, Chance. I’ve always known you.” She let out a frustrated sigh. “There’s nothing you can show me that will change the way I feel about you.”

  Uncertainty filled his eyes as he once again held out his hand. “I pray you’re right.”

  What was it going to take to prove to him that she didn’t have a crush on him, but actually loved him?

  The first step, she knew, was sliding her hand into his. “Okay, cowboy, show me the real you.”

  ****

  They drove for a silent half-hour before reaching a trailer park just outside Cook County. Chance’s jaw had stayed clenched for most of the ride. By the time they pulled to a stop outside a dilapidated trailer with white siding and a dream catcher hanging in each window, his face had paled two shades.

  “Why are we here?” Kenzie asked after he’d turned off the ignition and sat staring at the trailer.

  He glanced at her briefly before lowering his eyes and sighing. “This is where I grew up.”

  He opened his door and stepped out, rounding the front of the truck to open Kenzie’s door. She took the moment to study him, from the loss of light in his eyes to the slump of his shoulders. An ache formed in her chest from seeing the normally vibrant, powerful man look so defeated.