“Three sassy sisters livin’ on a ranch, one got married and went away. Two sassy sisters livin’ on a ranch, one got married and went away. One sassy sister livin’ on a ranch, she’s all confused and don’t know what to do…” Bonnie said. “Is that story good enough for you?”
“Double dammit!” Abby Joy swore. “Now I’ve got that worm in my head about the little monkeys.”
“Good.” Bonnie smiled. “Serves y’all right. I hope that song haunts you all day.”
“Seriously,” Shiloh said, “have you given some thought to what you intend to do about the ranch.”
“Yes, but I’ve got a question for both of you.” Bonnie nodded. “Y’all fell in love with someone and left, so evidently, it isn’t hard to move off the ranch. But do you have any regrets now that time has passed? Both of you could have been in love and still put off leaving until the year was up. You could have even spent a night away at a time now and then, like Shiloh did when Waylon was hurt. As long as you didn’t actually move away, both of you could have still been in for a share of the ranch.”
“I don’t have a single regret,” Abby Joy answered without hesitation. “But then, I was in love with Cooper, and love trumps all the dirt in Texas in my books.”
“I don’t have regrets either,” Shiloh said. “Both of you know, I was having doubts about staying on the ranch anyway. Following the terms of that will made me feel like Ezra had control over my life, and even if I had half ownership with you, Bonnie, it was”—she paused—“I can’t explain the feeling, but I can tell you that when I made up my mind to leave, it felt like the chains dropped off my heart. Like Abby Joy, I was in love with Waylon, so that had a bearing on it, I’m sure, but I was relieved that Ezra wasn’t running my life anymore.”
“He really was an old sumbitch, wasn’t he?” Bonnie whispered. “Do you wonder why he made his will the way he did? Why would he even care if we ever knew each other? I mean”—she took a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh—“I’m glad we have gotten acquainted, but why?”
“Can’t answer that,” Abby Joy replied. “I’m glad I came to the funeral, and that y’all did too, but understanding why Ezra did anything he did is impossible, and I’ve tried.”
“Me too.” Shiloh nodded.
“Thanks for being honest.” Bonnie turned to look out the side window. She tried to imagine simply moving off the ranch and relinquishing all her rights to it to Rusty, but she didn’t want to leave him. They made a great team, and he needed her right now, here in the busy season.
* * *
Rusty knocked on the door of Cooper’s ranch house and then poked his head inside. “Where are y’all at?”
“In the living room,” Cooper called out. “Come on in. The bareback bronc riding is about to begin. Bull riding comes after that.”
Rusty carried a six-pack of cold beer through the kitchen and the foyer and into the living room where Cooper and Waylon were already stretched out in a couple of recliners. He twisted the top off two bottles and handed one to each of them. Then he sat down on the sofa, propped his boots on an oversize hassock, and uncapped a beer for himself.
“Heard you didn’t close down the Sugar Shack last night,” Cooper said. “You sick or something?”
“Nope, just got bored with it. Sandy was drunk.” Rusty took a long drink of his beer.
“Sandy’s always drunk. Woman can’t hold her liquor any better than she can a boyfriend.” Waylon muted the commercial.
“She’s clingy and thinks if you buy her a drink, you’re in love with her and about to propose.” Cooper nodded. “I told you not to ever get involved with her, Rusty.”
“I didn’t, but I can’t convince her of that,” he groaned.
Waylon hit the red button on the remote to turn the sound back on. “Damn, I wish I was still doin’ the rodeo rounds. I liked the sounds of the crowd, the thrill of the rides, all of it.”
“Marriage changes a cowboy,” Cooper said.
“Yep, it does,” Waylon agreed. “And when it comes down to the line, I’d rather be married as out there bustin’ up bones and spendin’ time in emergency rooms. Since I got that concussion a few weeks ago in the wreck, I’d be afraid to ride anyway. I don’t ever want to get to where I wouldn’t know Shiloh.”
“Wait until you’ve got a baby comin’ along.” Cooper combed back his dark hair with his fingertips. “That really changes everything. I sure enough feel my responsibility to keep healthy. I’m not even running for sheriff next election. I’m just going to ranch.”
The commercial ended and the bronc riding event started. All three guys yelled for their favorite contestant, who was trying to make it all the way to the National Professional Rodeo in Las Vegas in December.
Rusty slumped down on the sofa and watched one event after another, but his thoughts wandered back to the Malloy Ranch. Cooper had inherited the Lucky Seven from his grandparents. Waylon had started off with a small spread and renamed it the Wildflower Ranch. Then the elderly lady next door to his place died and left him her small acreage. When he and Shiloh got married, she doubled the size of their acreage by buying the adjoining ranch to the south.
Rusty loved living in the canyon. He’d put down roots at the Malloy Ranch. He finally belonged somewhere. About all he could do at this point was hope that when Bonnie sold the place, he was the high bidder and that a bank would back him.
Chapter Five
The next morning the window served as a picture frame for the most beautiful sunrise Bonnie had ever seen. She threw off the covers and stared out at the gorgeous sight for a long time before she finally got dressed and headed toward the kitchen. She was halfway down the hall when she got a whiff of cinnamon blended with the aroma of coffee.
“Good mornin’,” Rusty said. “I made cinnamon toast for breakfast. Looks like we’re goin’ to have a good day to get the hay raked and baled.”
Was this his new trick to get rid of her—be nice so she’d feel sorry for him and give him the ranch for a fraction of its price? Well, he was dead wrong, if that’s what he thought.
“So this is how we’re going to play it, is it?” She poured a cup of coffee and carried it to the table.
“Play what?” he asked. “I was hungry for cinnamon toast and we usually have breakfast together if we’re not fighting.”
“I was afraid things would be awkward between us after the bombs on Saturday night,” she answered.
“Why would things be weird?” Rusty set a whole cookie sheet full of cinnamon toast on the table and then poured himself a cup of coffee and took a seat.
His long legs brushed against hers under the table and heat spread through her body like she was standing next to a raging bonfire. He bowed his head to say grace. Lord have mercy! How was she supposed to keep a divine thought in her head while he said a short prayer with his leg touching hers?
“Amen,” he said, “and now let’s eat and talk about why you think we should act any different than we did before. We’re consenting adults and we both had a bit to drink. Now we’re ranchers and we’ve got work to do.”