Page 3 of My Cowboy Kiss (Lucky River Cowboys #4)

I don’t like the thought of Courtney traveling the country roads between Lucky River and Clover County alone in the wee hours of the night. Clover County is known throughout Texas for its high crime rate.

“I couldn’t live with myself if something bad happened to you.” I take the onion from my burger and put it by hers because she loves them.

“Nothing’s going to happen to me. I’ll be around to annoy you forever.”

“You don’t annoy me.”

“I know. You’re like the world’s most patient brother.”

I freeze with my burger halfway to my mouth. “Brother? Would you kiss a brother the way you did me?”

Her cheeks redden. “Of course not.”

I hold her gaze, so she knows I’m not joking. “I’m not your brother and I’ve never once felt that way toward you.”

She takes a sudden interest in one of the fries, avoiding the subject. “Bear’s Diner makes the best fries.”

“Marshall said there’s a place in Vegas that makes some similar to those.”

“Vegas? When was your brother there?”

“Four months ago and he got married while he was there.”

“ What? Your mom tells me everything. How come I didn’t know?”

“None of us did. We found out today when an assistant for the woman he married came to the ranch.”

“Wow! I didn’t know he was seeing someone.”

“He wasn’t. I’m guessing it’s a drunken mistake on both their parts.”

“So he’s getting divorced?”

“I don’t know any more than what I told you.”

“Marshall married. I can’t wrap my head around that.”

Truth be told, I can’t either. It’s not like him to do something like that. Marshall lives his life with his hours planned from when he eats to when he sleeps.

We finish eating, then I gather the trash to toss. “I’ve got to get to back to help at the ranch. Will you be okay going to work?”

“I think so. I’ll talk to Allison and see.” She stands and links her arm with mine as we leave the park. “Thanks for today.” She grins up at me. “And for feeding your girlfriend.”

I smile back at her and her eyes flick to my mouth. “Want a goodbye kiss?” I ask.

“Why? Is someone watching us?”

I’m tempted to tell her yes, but I don’t ever lie to her. She had enough of that growing up. “No.”

Does she look disappointed about that? I can’t tell.

“Are you coming over for dinner?”

She shakes her head. “I can’t. Mom swears she’s coming by to pay back the money I had to pay the bar not to call the police on her for all the stuff she damaged.”

We both know she won’t show but Courtney still holds out hope. I think she’d be better off cutting ties with her mom, but she keeps believing the woman will change. That she’ll get her fucking act together and remember she’s supposed to care about her daughter.

“Alright then. Tomorrow’s your half day, right?”

She nods. “Every other Friday. Why?”

“We’ll go on our first date.”

“Our first date…” She frowns. “Oh. Right. The ruse so people will think we’re really a couple. Good thinking.”

I’m thinking even a fake date is a step toward getting her to see me in a different light.

The drive to her building doesn’t take long and it’s over too soon.

I wait after I drop her off for a few minutes in case she did actually get fired and might need a shoulder to lean on.

But she doesn’t come out, so I leave for the ranch, mentally bracing to deal with whatever’s going on with Marshall.

He wouldn’t share a lot of details other than he was married. Then Flint said he’d left to check the fence line.

That’s a chore he hates, but he likes being grilled about his feelings even less than that.

Being together at The Gentle Children’s Home, he and I learned along with our other brothers that love was the most dangerous emotion of all.

If you loved something or someone, it was taken from you. Or it was used as a weapon against you.

Some days, it still surprises me that I survived that place. It’s only because of my brothers that I survived.

Because of my adoptive parents, Gavin and Frances Richford, I received a home filled with love and warmth. I got birthday and Christmas presents for the first time. I didn’t have to steal food and hide it, and no one laid a hand on me in anger.

After they adopted me, once I finished high school, I took off for a while, traveling around and working for various animal rescue groups.

Then I got the call that the ranch was about to be taken thanks to a former ranch manager. That asshole cleaned out the bank accounts and forged Dad’s name to get a loan with the ranch as collateral.

All of us boys returned home, and we’ve been fighting like hell to pull the ranch back from the brink. We’ve taken side jobs and anything else we can do to bring in money.

I tighten my grip on the steering wheel. Though we’ve searched we haven’t been able to find a trace of the former manager.

When I pull up at the ranch, my brothers Jude and Leo step out onto the porch. I know what they’re asking before they need to say a word.

“I’ll saddle up with you and ride out to him.”

It’s like at the Home. We might hurt, but we don’t let each other hurt alone.

I’m saddling my horse when Jude pops his head around his horse to look at me. He’s grinning like he just got laid.

“What?”

“Ma’s phone’s been ringing off the hook with mamas asking is it true about you being with Courtney.”

“I was never interested in any of their daughters.” I swing onto my horse.

“Courtney’s the only one in my heart.” At first, I had a sweet love for her.

With stars in my eyes, I thought she was the best friend a guy could have.

But as I got older one day she didn’t look like Courtney, my friend. Suddenly, she was Courtney, a woman.

One who filled out a pair of jeans and grew tits.

“Careful,” Jude says as he rides up beside me. “Otherwise, you’ll end up like our brothers. Married before you know it.”

That doesn’t sound like something I want to be careful about. It sounds like what I want with Courtney. If things go my way, that’s exactly where we’re heading.