A Cowboy In Her Arms. Mary Leo

Joel Darwood who broke my heart, then poured gasoline on it and set it on fire...and he’s about as far away from being a cowboy as I’m a rock star.”

      Coco peeked around the trees to grab a better look. The sisters were barely a year apart, fifty weeks, to be exact, and had always been as tight as thieves. They’d shared everything except their clothes. At six feet, Coco was the tallest of Callie’s three sisters, had a bigger bone structure and sprang every button on any of Callie’s shirts she’d ever attempted to wear. She wore her deep chestnut hair extra short so she didn’t have to mess with it, mostly wore jeans, boots and a T-shirt, and could ride a horse just about as well as their brother, Carson. She was the type of woman who liked to focus on one thing at a time, and for the past six years that focus had been on becoming the best veterinarian this town had ever seen.

      “It can’t be. After what he did to you, he wouldn’t have the nerve to show his face in this town.”

      “Maybe we could sic Punky on him.”

      Coco shared her tiny house in town with Punky, a Yorkie who thought he was a German shepherd. He’d been nursed and raised with a group of shepherds after his own mom had died soon after he was born. Punky conducted himself accordingly, being very protective of Coco, who had found him the loving new mama German shepherd who had treated him as one of her own. Nothing scared Punky, not even the biggest of dogs or a horse, for that matter.

      Even now, as Punky waited patiently at the end of a bright red leash, Callie could tell he was on full alert. His ears were perked, and an occasional guttural growl emanated from his tiny body, causing him to shiver in its wake.

      “Punky deserves better.”

      “You’re right. Joel’s not worthy of Punky’s attention, good or bad.”

      “Are you sure that’s really him?” Coco asked. “He looks a lot different than those pictures you sent us from college.”

      “Absolutely. I know Joel Darwood when I see him. Besides, it’s been almost six years. I’m way over him.”

      Coco gazed back at Callie, giving her one of those yeah, sure you are looks. “Then why are we hiding behind this tree? And tell me more about that little mishap in the parade today...which had absolutely nothing to do with your seeing him again.”

      “I told you, I was simply trying to get a better look to make sure it was him. And besides, you know how stubborn Apple Sammy can be.”

      “He’s not the only one who’s stubborn.”

      Callie ignored the jab. “Do you want to help me with what to say to him or not?” Callie stuck a fist to her hip, anxious to get this whole thing settled. She needed to know why the dirty rotten scoundrel was in Briggs and how long he intended to stay. Coco was not cooperating the way Callie had hoped she would.

      “Sure, but only if you’re sure you aren’t harboring some feelings for the guy.”

      “Stop it.”

      “What? I’m just sayin’...”

      “And what’s that exactly?”

      “You said you’re over him, and I’m going to take you at your word. But what if he and Sarah broke up and he’s come to Briggs to apologize for all the pain he caused you? If I remember correctly, you said he was the only guy you ever loved.”

      “I was young and naive.”

      Coco gave Callie a quick eye roll. “Not so young, and you haven’t been ‘naive’ since the tenth grade. Remember Blake Granger?”

      Blake Granger was the oldest of the Granger brothers, who had a reputation of being real charmers. Back in high school, kissing one of the Granger boys brought on as much envy from the other girls as kissing a cute celebrity.

      “I told you a million times, nothing ever happened between Blake and me other than a few hot kisses. And stop talking crazy about Joel. Like I could fall for his lying, cheating ways ever again. You above all people know how long it took me to get over him, and I am so over him.”

      “Then where’s his wife? Where’s Sarah?”

      “I don’t know, and I don’t care. Once his wife’s aunt Polly left town, no one really kept up on her family. Only that the Double S Ranch has fallen into disrepair, but other than that, there hasn’t been any gossip. If his wife isn’t here, and if she’s anything like she was in college, she’s probably hiding out with her current lover. She never could stay loyal to anyone for very long...including me, her best friend.”

      Callie refused to ever say his wife’s name out loud. That hurt still ran deep.

      “Do you think he recognized you today?”

      Callie had caught the acknowledgment on Joel’s face before he turned and walked away that afternoon.

      “Unfortunately, yes. The thing is, I don’t know what I want to say to him. I mean, I used to know what I wanted to say, but now that he’s here, it’s like my thoughts are all jumbled up. That’s why I pulled you into this. You’re good at these kinds of things. What would you say?”

      Coco glanced back, then casually leaned against a tree and folded her arms across her chest. “Well, my irate sister, you should’ve asked me sooner, ’cause that lyin’, cheatin’, counterfeit cowboy is heading our way.”

      * * *

      JOEL HAD SPOTTED Callaghan standing behind the aspen trees almost as soon as she and her friend had arrived. He’d spent the entire afternoon thinking about what he would say to her if and when they bumped into each other today, but so far he hadn’t come up with a single thing that sounded the least bit intelligent.

      The thing was, he was tired of waiting for Callaghan to come to him. She’d been standing behind the trees for the better part of a half hour, with her friend doing all the spying, and frankly he’d reached his limit. Never mind the tiny slip of a dog that seemed to growl and bark at him whenever he looked their way.

      “Where are you going, Daddy?” Emma asked as Joel eased himself up off the blanket they shared with Aunt Polly on the expanse of lawn just on the other side of the small outdoor rodeo arena. The town’s fairgrounds were a mix of landscapes conducive to all sorts of events, from the arena with the surrounding bleachers to the blacktop area where all the food stands had been set up, to the grassy part suitable for picnics or waiting around for a fireworks display.

      “You stay here with Auntie Polly. I’ve got someone I need to talk to.”

      “Okay, but don’t take too long. You don’t want to miss the fireworks!” Emma warned as she finished off what had to be the biggest puff of cotton candy he’d ever seen. He was sure she wouldn’t sleep for the next week from so much sugar, but he just couldn’t deny her when she’d asked so sweetly if she could have one.

      As he walked closer to Callaghan, his heart started racing and he felt a bit twitchy, like he’d swallowed an entire beehive and they now buzzed through his veins. He’d never really given her much thought over the years, and his wife, Sarah, had barely spoken of her except in passing. Right after everything initially went down, Callaghan had seeped into his consciousness several times, but Joel had been a runner in those days, and running away from his thoughts had been something he’d gotten very good at.

      Apparently, he’d recently lost that ability along with his ability to essentially ignore his own daughter. Once he let Emma into his heart, everything changed, almost as if he’d switched on his emotions. Now, as Callaghan and her friend—or maybe it was one of her sisters, he couldn’t be sure; he’d only seen pictures of her family—stepped out from behind the trees, English seemed to be a foreign language. His words were all messed up and the only phrase that came to mind was, get the heck out of here!

      As soon as he came within a couple feet of Callaghan, their silly little dog bared its teeth and growled, as if it was about to do some major damage if Joel didn’t curb his ways.

      “That