Courting the Cowboy Read online

  “She lives here in Grape Seed Falls. I feel like I should know her, but I don’t.” At least her picture hadn’t looked familiar. Kurt could tell it was an old picture though, so he wondered what she really looked like now.

  And what she was trying to hide.

  “I shouldn’t think like that, should I?” He stroked Minnie’s neck though he hadn’t told her what he was thinking. But Brogan had been hiding a lot behind her ancient photograph and her pretty smile. Kurt was determined not to make that same mistake again.

  “There you are.” Dwayne appeared in the horse barn as if he hadn’t known Kurt would be with his horses.

  “Here I am.”

  Dwayne leaned next to the stall where Kurt stood. “We’re headed out to the North End Zone to check on the cattle there. You in?”

  Riding for most of the day? Stopping to eat in the shade? “All in,” Kurt said. “We’ll be back for church tomorrow, right?”

  “Oh, yeah. This is only a day ride. Felicity is briefing everyone over in the Cowboy Commons. I told her I’d come find you.” Marriage agreed with Dwayne, and Kurt’s heart squeezed with want for what his best friend had.

  “All right. Well, let’s go.” Kurt followed Dwayne outside, and he took in a deep breath of the beautiful morning. His phone buzzed, and his adrenaline spiked again.

  “Oh, it’s May.” He wasn’t aware that he’d spoken out loud until Dwayne asked, “Who’s May?”

  “This woman I hearted last night,” he said, already distracted by his phone.

  At least Dwayne was used to Kurt’s dating app lingo. “Where’s she from?”

  Kurt smiled at his phone, at the message May had sent. It’s nice to meet you. Is now a better time to chat?

  “Right here in Grape Seed Falls.” Kurt glanced up. “Maybe you know her.”

  “What’s her last name?”

  “It’s not on her profile,” Kurt said. Which wasn’t all that uncommon, especially for women. They wanted to protect their privacy, reveal one part of themselves at a time.

  yeah now’s okay. i’m leaving in a few minutes though and might not have cell service

  The service was spotty the further from the ranch he went, and he didn’t want to leave her in the lurch. what’s your last name he typed and sent, hoping he wasn’t too forward. i’m here with my boss and he grew up here in grape seed falls

  You didn’t?

  no ma’am. i’m from san antonio.

  She sent a smiley face but didn’t answer his question. He and Dwayne arrived back at the Cowboy Commons, where Felicity stood next to the flagpole, already talking. He hovered behind Dwayne so he could continue his virtual conversation with the elusive May With-No-Last-Name.

  tell me something your profile doesn’t. He’d learned not to ask where women worked, how many siblings they had, or anything else too telling. They’d joined the online dating website for a bit more anonymity, to decide if they liked a man before they went out with him. Not the other way around. After a few stumbles, Kurt had learned the art of chatting about nonsensical things.

  I love making macaroni and cheese, she messaged. It’s one of my favorite things to create.

  what’s your favorite type of cheese? he asked, having had some experience with various macaroni and cheese recipes himself. Anyone in the South probably was. And Kurt wasn’t sure he wanted to perpetuate the conversation if she chose a mild cheese, like white cheddar.

  Depends on who I’m cooking for and how much I want to spend. But I love brie in mac and cheese.

  “Brie, huh?”

  Dwayne elbowed him, and Kurt realized he’d spoken out loud without meaning to. Felicity cut them a sharp look, and Kurt stuck his phone in his back pocket. But honestly, he’d gone out to the North End Zone tons of times. He knew what to watch for on the way. He knew how to fix a fence if he came across one that had been trampled down. He knew how to stay with a partner so he didn’t get lost out in the expansive wilderness on the ranch.

  Buzzing from his pocket was annoying, but he ignored it. He’d have at least a half an hour to pack a lunch and get his horse saddled—tasks he could do in ten minutes or less. So he had time to chat again while Felicity wasn’t talking. He might as well pay her the attention she deserved.

  A few minutes later, she finished with, “Let’s meet back here in forty-five minutes, all right?” The cowboys started back toward their cabins to get their lunches together, and Kurt almost bolted. But the look Felicity gave him and the way Dwayne moved behind him spoke volumes.

  “He hearted a new woman,” Dwayne said as his wife approached. “Go easy on him.”

  “I heard you,” Kurt added. “Believe it or not, this isn’t my first cattle check in the North End Zone.”

  “Well, it’s mine,” Felicity said, still advancing. “I just want it to go well.”

  “And it will,” Dwayne and Kurt said at the same time. They exchanged a glance and grinned at each other.

  “Want me to make you a lunch?” Kurt asked. “I have some of that bacon wrapped chicken breast leftover from Tuesday night.”

  Her eyes lit up and she licked her lips. Kurt knew he had her, and he grinned. “I’ll slice it thin and make a sandwich out of it.”

  “I want one,” Dwayne said. “And some of that macaroni salad with the cubed cheddar.”

  “That’s all gone.”

  “All gone?” Dwayne folded his arms. “You made a vat of it.”

  “And I ate it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for three straight days.” He chuckled and stepped away as his hip buzzed again. “Don’t worry, guys. I’ll bring something you’ll like.”

  He escaped as quickly as he could without running, now having added five more minutes to his tasks before he could chat May again.

  Sunday morning, Kurt whistled all the way to church. He always drove himself, because he wasn’t interested in staying after and mingling the way Shane and Chadwell did. He didn’t blame them. None of them got off the ranch very much, and the only woman out there was already married to the boss.

  So the boys liked to stay, check out the ladies in the congregation, and make some real life love connections of their own. None of them had been as keen as Kurt about TexasFaithful.com, but he’d really enjoyed himself these past few months. He didn’t have to worry about who would talk to who first. He didn’t have to have wandering eyes when he should be listening to Pastor Gifford.

  His life had actually calmed since joining the online dating website, and for that, he was grateful. He sat on the bench next to Dwayne and Felicity, who sat next to Dwayne’s parents. Kurt fit right in with the older generation, a fact he didn’t quite like so much. At forty-six, he certainly wasn’t interested in anyone younger than thirty-five, and single women like that were hard to come by in Grape Seed Falls.

  Pastor Gifford stood up and started making announcements. Kurt perked up when he started speaking about the Spring Jubilee and the cooking competition. Kurt had been chosen to represent this little gray and white brick church on Elberta Street, and he’d just barely lost last year to Katia from the red brick church on Freestone Avenue.

  He was not going to lose this year. He’d been working on his winning dessert for months, and he leaned forward as the pastor spoke.

  “We have a slight snag in the Spring Jubilee charitable cooking contest.” His eyes roamed the crowd, and even the fussy babies seemed to settle down. “The town has just informed us that the theme this year is Two Peas in a Pod.”

  Kurt squinted, trying to figure out what that meant.

  “Which means Kurt Pemberton needs a partner for our congregation to be represented at this year’s competition.”

  A partner? A slow hiss leaked from his mouth, and Dwayne looked at him.

  “That’s not good,” he whispered.

  Not good at all. Because Kurt liked to work alone in the kitchen. Liked experimenting with his own recipes. Didn’t collaborate on flavor or texture or any of it. And he liked his idea of a doughnu
t tower, thank you very much.

  “Not only that,” Pastor Gifford said, avoiding Kurt’s eyes now. “But they want a three-course meal: appetizer, main course, and dessert. We previously thought it was simply our best dessert. So.”

  Kurt felt like storming out, and the sermon hadn’t even begun yet.

  “I’ll be taking applications for who would like to work with Kurt. And I’ll be speaking with him, and we’ll make the decision together.”

  “Well, that’s something,” Dwayne whispered, and Kurt finally looked at him. He wore a hopeful, anxious look on his face, and Kurt shrugged one shoulder.

  “It’s something.” But not something he wanted to do.

  Pastor Gifford started his sermon, speaking about how the Savior was the ultimate example of forgiveness, and “whenever we feel like we can’t forgive, we can look to Him for guidance.”

  Kurt barely listened as his mind raced around who could possibly be his partner, and how they could possibly get a three-course meal put together in only four months.

  Like a bolt of lightning from heaven, Kurt thought of May.

  May-the-chef. She would be perfect. With her training, he’d trust her opinions on flavors, and he could probably learn something about technique from working with her in a kitchen.

  He pulled out his phone to chat her before he remembered he’d never met her before. And if she was part of this congregation, he felt sure he would have by now. After all, he’d been attending church here for fifteen years, ever since he’d come to Grape Seed Falls.

  And he didn’t know how to ask her either. All he knew was she was a chef and she liked using brie in mac and cheese. His fingers twitched through the rest of church, and he could barely enjoy the choir when they stood to sing the last song.

  He normally left right after church, but today he hung back. Pastor Gifford would take at least twenty minutes to speak with parishioners as they exited, and Kurt went down the hall to the pastor’s office to wait.

  When the pastor finally came toward him, Kurt stood. “Pastor.”

  “Kurt, I’m so sorry about the Spring Jubilee.” He exhaled and unlocked his office before ushering Kurt inside. They shook hands and took seats.

  “Well, what are we gonna do?”

  Pastor Gifford leaned his elbows on his desk, his green eyes earnest. “Do you know anyone you’d like to work with?”

  He did, but he didn’t at the same time. “I can work on it,” he found himself saying.

  “Let me know. And I’ll keep you updated if someone volunteers.”

  Without much else to do, Kurt nodded and left the church. In the safety of his truck, he decided to be brave and bite the bullet. He sent a chat to May. so i know this is random. but i was doing this cooking contest in the spring jubilee and i just found out this year’s theme is two peas in a pod. i need a partner. wondered if you wanted to meet and see if we can cook together.

  He blew out his breath and looked up out the windshield. “Please help this not sound like a pick-up line. Or some euphemism I don’t intend.”

  He read over the message again, and it seemed fine to him. So he sent it, his heart hammering in his eardrums.

  Chapter Three

  May refused to let herself look at her phone during church. If there ever was a time she needed divine intervention, now was that time. She’d been praying since she woke that morning that God would lead her to someone she could love and be happy with for the rest of her life.

  No big deal, Lord, she thought. You do it for other people. I don’t want to let my father down.

  And she really wanted to keep Sotheby’s in the family. No, she wanted Sotheby’s, as she’d poured her heart and soul into the restaurant.

  The meeting finally ended, and May jumped up from her spot next to Beth and her two nephews. “Are you coming to Mom’s for lunch?” her sister asked.

  “Not today.” May had some serious tapping and chatting to do. Sotheby’s was only open for dinner on Sundays, and May was on management duties tonight. She didn’t allow her employees to keep their devices at work, so she’d be phone-free too.

  As she hurried toward the back of the chapel to leave, someone called her name. She kept going, hoping to ignore them. But then the microphone crackled to life again, and Pastor Clark said, “May Sotheby,” as if he were the voice of God. “I need to talk to you.”

  “Oh, you’re in trouble,” Benji, her nephew said with a grin.

  “Go on, you.” May smiled at him and tousled his dark hair as he passed.

  She swung her hair over her shoulder and turned back toward the front of the chapel. Pastor Clark, though probably a decade younger than May, looked weary and worried. She made her way back the way she’d come, every step feeling heavier than the last.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I know you need to get to work.”

  False, but she didn’t say anything. Sticking around after church was not something she normally enjoyed. “What’s wrong, Pastor?”

  “I just found out that the cooking competition this year is a partners-only event.”

  Horror struck May right behind her breastbone. “What?”

  “For the Spring Jubilee. Remember you were going to enter to represent our church.”

  “Yes, yes, of course I remember. But I need a…partner?”

  “Yes, the committee just informed us that the theme requires a duo to compete. You need a partner.”

  Great. Desperation surged up her throat. It seemed she couldn’t do a single blasted thing these days without a partner. Couldn’t take over her father’s restaurant. Couldn’t get married. Couldn’t even cook in a small-town Texas festival, and she had a culinary arts degree in pastry.

  “All right.” She turned away, utterly dejected and wondering what else life was going to throw at her this year.

  “Do you know someone you could partner up with?” Pastor Clark asked.

  If she did, she’d probably date them, not spend time perfecting a pound cake recipe with them. “I don’t know.” She started to walk away, hoping one of the reasons her phone was blinking red and blue lights at her was because Kurt had chatted.

  She’d really enjoyed messaging him for most of the day yesterday and even a little bit this morning. Sure enough, he’d chatted, and her heart raced and then stopped when she read his chat.

  He was going to compete for his church in the Spring Jubilee? So she’d have met him in a few months anyway—and been his stiffest competition, she was sure. He’d never mentioned that he was a chef, and she tapped out Are you a chef?

  To which he immediately replied no. self taught cook who just loves being in the kitchen.

  Well, that certainly wasn’t a negative quality in May’s book. Not that she had a book anymore. She couldn’t afford to.

  She spun back toward the dais, but the pastor had left. So she waited in the line of people shaking hands with him at the door, and when it was her turn, she asked, “Does my partner have to be a member of this congregation?”

  Pastor Clark frowned. “I don’t think so. But you know our church gets the prize if we win.”

  “But what if we partnered with another church?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Which other church?”

  May didn’t know, so she admitted as much. “But I have a friend who was doing the competition for his church, and he thought we might be able to partner. Maybe we could split the prize if we win?”

  “We have a title to defend.”

  As if May didn’t know. Katia had won last year, and she was a home cook too. She cocked her hip and appraised the pastor. “I’m going to bring that title back to Freestone, don’t you worry.”

  His eyebrows lifted and he chuckled. “All right, May. Do what you need to do.”

  By nightfall, May paced from one side of the kitchen to the other. Back and forth. Forth and back. Her hands wrapped around each other and she counted out the clicks of her heels against the tile.

  “May,” Juan Carlos finall
y said. “You’re killing me.”

  “Sorry.” She gave him an apologetic look. “I’m meeting someone in a few minutes, and I’m really nervous about it.”

  “Who is it?” Juan Carlos set a steak on the flattop with a sudden hiss.

  “His name’s Kurt.” She didn’t know his last name, and she didn’t want to admit such a thing out loud.

  “May.” Ally stuck her head into the kitchen. “There’s someone here for you.”

  She sucked in a deep breath. “Seat him in booth thirty-seven, please.” She almost called Ally back, but the waitress disappeared as quickly as she’d come.

  “Come on, May,” she whispered to herself. If Kurt was the man of her dreams, she wanted to meet him face-to-face in the same booth where her parents had first met. But if he wasn’t…. And how much pressure was that on the man? A man she hadn’t even met yet.

  She breathed again, pushed the air all the way out of her lungs, and turned toward the big, black plastic door separating her from the man she’d enjoyed speaking with for the past couple of days.

  After leaving the kitchen, her eyes immediately went to the appointed booth. She froze, her blood turning to ice instantly.

  The man sitting in booth thirty-seven wore a huge white cowboy hat.

  Strike one, two, and three, she thought. And four, five, and six.

  He couldn’t be a cowboy, and May felt like crying. She spun away from him, though that hint of his salt-and-pepper hair she’d seen in his profile picture showed along his neck and down his sideburns. Her heart stampeded through her chest, and she simply couldn’t force herself to move forward or go back.

  “Go on,” Ally whispered as she neared May. “He’s gorgeous and he seems as nervous as you do.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. Go on. If you don’t get over there, I’m going to go introduce myself properly.” Ally giggled and pushed into the kitchen with her load of dirty dishes.

  The hubbub of the Sunday dinner crowd gave May the confidence she needed. She smiled at the guests as she walked toward Kurt. It felt like a fifty-mile trek though she arrived in only a few seconds.