used to come here for a vacation. Today the scenery was much different with hotels, motels and restaurants that hadn’t been there years ago.
He and his brothers used to race down the beach. Phoenix was barely three, but he always tried to keep up. “Paxton, watch out for Phoenix!” his mother would shout after them. And it seemed like he’d been doing that most of his life. But in reality Phoenix had been looking out for Paxton, pulling him out of bars when things got heated, making sure he stayed off beer on rodeo days and steering him away from girls who could ruin his career. He and Phoenix had always been a team but...
The temperature had been in the sixties earlier, but now the mercury was dropping as a cold front made its way across the Gulf Coast. His cell buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket. Heather? Who was Heather? He read the text: I’m in Killeen. Wanna hook up? He couldn’t remember any Heather. It probably was a girl he had met over the holidays.
He groaned inwardly, not liking that he couldn’t remember. Girls were another problem. They called him “The Heartthrob” on the rodeo circuit. He hated the nickname, but it had stuck. Even the announcers called him that. And he’d gotten into more than one fight when his friends had ragged him about it.
Girls were easy for him, though. They hung around after rodeos and invited him out. They were persistent, but now he planned to be more selective. He would have to cross that line from a wild teenager into adulthood. It was past time. He’d left his twenties behind and now he had to grow up. It might be the hardest thing he ever had to do.
His cell buzzed again and he looked at the caller ID. Lisa. That name he knew. His ex-fiancée. She’d been calling ever since Vegas but he hadn’t picked up. For a brief moment in time he’d thought he was in love with her. He soon had learned she wasn’t the woman for him, so he couldn’t understand why she was calling him now. And he wasn’t interested in finding out why.
He’d ended his long-time relationship with his high school sweetheart because of Lisa. It was such a messy time with so many hurt feelings. But ultimately, breaking up with Jenny had been a good decision because he’d realized he wasn’t really in love with her. They were just good friends. She’d married his brother Quincy and the two of them were happy and expecting their first child in March. Paxton felt no jealousy or animosity toward them. He had to find his own way now. And it wasn’t in partying or flashy women.
Five of his brothers were married and happy. That left him and Elias searching for something they might never find.
The waves lapped at the sandy shore near his boots and gray clouds hung low on the horizon. It was time to head home. Two days on the coast in winter was enough. He stopped short when he noticed a woman in a hooded blue jogging suit struggling to get to her feet. A yellow Lab stood beside her, as if trying to help. She continued to push in the sand with her right foot and hand to no avail. He rushed forward.
She saw him approach and sank back on the damp sand. “I’m fine,” she said in a raspy voice, a sign she was out of breath.
“You—”
“I’m fine. Really.” This time her voice had a note of anger, and he stepped away, knowing he was invading her privacy and it was upsetting her. Against everything he’d been taught as a kid by his parents, he walked on. Even though he knew the woman needed help, he wasn’t going to push it. But then some things you just don’t outgrow. He looked back and she was continuing to try to stand, holding on to the Lab as if to give her a boost.
He hurried back and held out his arm, almost in her face, and stared at her, just daring her to resist. To his amazement, she didn’t. She grabbed his forearm and pulled herself up. No thank-you. No nothing. She didn’t even look at him.
In the brief moment she had glanced at him earlier he’d noticed her eyes—sea green, the color of the water behind him. Warm. Inviting. Tempting. And angry. Light brown hair peeked out from the hood of her jacket and her skin was pale. Very pale, as if she’d been ill. What was she doing on the beach alone in January? She had that fragile look about her and the jogging suit hung on her thin body.
She turned, the dog at her side, her hand on its collar, and slowly made her way to the hotel behind him. Paxton shook his head. He’d never had an encounter with a woman quite like that. But it was none of his business. He just hoped that there was someone waiting for her in the hotel.
His hand unconsciously went to the spot on his arm where she’d touched him. Even through his jacket and a shirt he could still feel it. She was trembling and trying to hide it as best as she could. What stood out even more was the fact she was scared to death.
* * *
REMI ROBERTS SLOWLY made it to her room and eased onto the bed. Tears trickled from her eyes and she fought hard to control her emotions. Sadie, her dog, jumped up beside her and she wrapped her arms around the warm and solid dog to steady herself. How could she have been so stupid?
Her mother and stepfather had said she didn’t need to go anywhere alone, but had she listened? Of course not. She wanted to be independent again and she wanted to prove that to her family.
She had spent so much time in therapy. She knew she was better and each day she’d grown stronger. Just not strong enough to get up from the ground. She’d adventured outside early to watch the sunrise and then had decided to just sit and watch the morning as it opened like a curtain on a play. What would this day hold? She hadn’t considered how long she’d been sitting on the ground. She’d had so much confidence she could get to her feet. But she hadn’t been able to. She’d tried and tried and still her stubborn left leg would not work. The accident would always be with her and she was fighting every day to get back some of her life.
As she’d struggled to stand, she’d prayed a prince charming would rescue her. Then she’d looked up and seen him. Her heart had jackknifed into her throat. He had to be the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. A lethal grin had tugged at the corners of his perfectly shaped mouth. Beneath the cowboy hat, she’d glimpsed dark hair. His eyes were a rich caramel brown that held a sleepy-eyed allure. His face had to have been chiseled by the hand of God and stroked by the wings of angels. It was perfect. Masculine. Sexy. And sparked a raw earthiness that stirred an awakening in her lower belly.
He was a cowboy.
A lot of girls liked cowboys.
She hadn’t been one of them. And today she wondered why.
She didn’t know what had made her so stiff and unfriendly, but accepting his help meant she wasn’t better. She still needed more therapy, more support from her family. Her life was on hold. And that meant she would lose Annie.
She couldn’t lose Annie.
* * *
ON THURSDAY MORNING Paxton sat with his brothers in the Rebel Ranch office discussing the day’s work. Falcon, his oldest brother, and their mom sat at their desks and the others gathered around, waiting for orders for the day. Even Grandpa was there.
“Leah and John have doctors’ appointments in Houston today and I’ve taken the day off,” Falcon said. Leah, Falcon’s wife, had had a brain tumor when John was born. He was a preemie but no one would guess that today by the rowdy little boy he was. “Justin is sick so Egan is at home taking care of him because Rachel went back to teaching. Phoenix is working on his house. And Jude is helping Phoenix.”
“Quincy is out for the day, too,” his mother said. “Jenny has been put on bed rest and he wants to make sure she’s following rules.”
