Love Drunk Cowboy

chapter 21

Rye swaggered into the Hyatt Regency in his starched jeans, freshly polished cowboy boots, silver belt buckle, and a crisp yellow and green plaid western-cut shirt. His black hair was combed straight back and he carried his best Stetson hat in his hands. He crossed the lobby and went straight for the restaurant on the other side of the bar. Everything was quiet for a Saturday morning, but then it was only ten o’clock.

He’d called for brunch reservations and ordered a pot of coffee and waited. Being early gave him the advantage. He’d finished off one cup of coffee and had just poured another when he saw them step out of the elevator. He’d recognize them anywhere because they looked like older models of Austin, but which one was the mother and which were the aunts was a toss-up.

They were all dressed in black slacks and muted colored tops. Their hair was cut in different styles and two of them had a few more wrinkles around their eyes. Austin had mentioned that her mother was the youngest one by several years, so he took a chance when the waitress led them to his table. He stood up, shook his jeans legs down to stack over his boots, and stuck out his hand.

“Miz Lanier, I’m Rye O’Donnell. It’s right nice to meet y’all.”

Barbara admired his firm shake and appreciated his manners in holding the chair for each of them before he sat back down. “It’s nice to meet you, also. I’ve heard a lot about you from my daughter.”

He picked up the pot. “Coffee?”

“Yes, please. We’re all coffee drinkers and I haven’t had any at all today,” Clydia said. “I can see why Austin is attracted to you.”

“You’d be Clydia?” he asked.

“Yes she is and I’m Joan. Fill it to the brim. I’m not a pansy like these other two. I drink it black.”

Rye filled it up. “You sound like my kind of woman.”

“I could be if I was thirty years younger. Now tell us why we are here?”

“I wanted to meet you all. I’m lonesome for Austin and she’s dog tired with the harvest, but it won’t be but a few weeks until she can play with her wine making all fall. By the time it’s planting time again, she’ll be antsing to get back out in the fields. But right now I’m down here alone and y’all are here so I thought we’d meet and have brunch,” he said.

“So she’s behind this brunch?” Joan asked.

Rye shook his head slowly. “No, ma’am. She is not behind this. She doesn’t even know that I sweet-talked the desk lady into putting the call through to your room for me. I’ll tell her all about it later. By the way, have you had the pancakes? They are wonderful.”

“You’ve stayed here before?” Barbara asked.

“Couple of times. Shall I order pancakes for all of us or would you like to do the all-you-can-eat bar?”

“I’ll have the pancakes. The way we’ve been eating I’ll have to spend two hours a night in the gym this next month,” Clydia said.

“Y’all are all like Austin. Always fussing about weight and never gaining a pound, I’ll bet.” Rye smiled.

“Austin is like Verline and her father. They could eat elephants and it wouldn’t affect the scales,” Barbara said.

“Believe me, we have to watch our weight,” Joan said. “But I’m having pancakes.”

“They bring warm syrup and serve them with raspberries,” Rye said. “More coffee?”

Clydia held out her cup and he poured. “Tell us about yourself, Rye?”

“I’m thirty-two years old. I own a cattle ranch right across the road from Austin’s watermelon farm. I also ride bulls and pretty often take home the purse from that. I raise Angus cattle and own rodeo bulls. I make a few dollars hauling them to the rodeo, which is why I’m in Dallas this weekend and every weekend in the summer months. The Resistol Rodeo Arena is in Mesquite and I have a contract with them to provide stock for the events. Want to go to the rodeo tonight? You can be my guests,” he said.

All three heads shook from side to side without hesitation.

“And you ride bulls as well as raise them?” Barbara asked.

“Yes, ma’am. Make a little on the side doing that. Been close to making enough points to go to the pro bull rider events a few times.”

“Has Austin seen you ride?” Joan asked.

“Not yet but she will. She rode the mechanical bull a few weeks ago. Blew my sister’s mind right out of the place when she hung on for the full eight seconds and even downed a bottle of beer while she was riding. Everyone in the place clapped for her.”

Barbara gasped. “She did what?”

“Guess she didn’t tell you about that, did she?” He grinned.

The pancakes arrived and the waitress set a pitcher of warmed maple syrup in the middle of the table and switched the empty coffee pot with a full one.

“Thank you,” Rye said.

“You are very welcome,” she said.

“We want to hear more about Austin’s bull riding,” Joan said.

“Well, my sister Colleen dared her to ride. My sister, Gemma, rides the real bulls. Austin let Colleen handle the controls so she wouldn’t say that the handler gave her an easy time. And Colleen didn’t. She probably overworked the mechanical bull but it looked like Austin was a pro. She said later it was because she had had horse riding lessons and was a skier and had danced the ballet. She said it was all a matter of balance.”

Clydia smiled.

Rye could have kissed her. It was the first sign that he was getting anywhere with the ice queens of the big city.

“What else has my child done that I don’t know about?” Barbara asked.

“Oh, no! You’re not getting me to talking anymore, Miz Lanier. Austin is probably going to throw things at me as it is for telling you about the bull. And this old cowboy ain’t takin’ no more chances,” he drawled.

“Are you telling me that you are in love with my daughter?” Barbara asked.

“Yes, ma’am, I am,” Rye said without hesitation. “If her father was alive I’d have a visit with him and ask if I could have his blessing on courting her. I suppose I ought to ask you for the same blessing.”

“And if I don’t give it to you?” Barbara asked.

“I’m going to do it anyway. She’s thirty. I’m thirty-two. I just happened to be old-fashioned that way. So you can either give me the blessing or keep it in the family vault. I couldn’t any more keep away from her than I could live without breathing.”

Barbara sighed. “Terral raises passionate men, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t know about Terral, but the O’Donnells do,” Rye said.

“You have my permission to court my daughter. I don’t like it because I don’t want her to waste her life in that town, but being hateful about it will only drive her away from me and she’s all our family has in the way of another generation.”

“Thank you. Maybe someday your family tree will expand.”

Joan giggled. “Wouldn’t that be a hoot? A bunch of little farmers and ranchers. Mother will have a cardiac arrest and leave all her fortune to charity.”

Rye chuckled. “I’m not a bit interested in anyone’s fortune. Just in Austin Lanier’s heart.”

***

Austin was waiting on the front porch when he got home the next day. She wore a white eyelet lace sundress with spaghetti straps and no shoes. Her hair flowed about her shoulders and was even lighter after hours of working in the broiling sun.

She stepped off the porch and met him halfway from the truck to the house. He picked her up and hugged her so tight that she could hardly breathe. “I’ll help you and make Kent help too. You can’t miss another weekend with me. I was too lonely down there.”

“Me too!” she said.

He set her down, tipped her chin up, and kissed her. “Let’s go cuddle on my big bed.”

“Let’s stay here in my small bed and do more than cuddle.”

“Why don’t you want to go to my house?” he asked.

“Think, Rye. Every time we try to do anything over there, something happens. At this house we could stay in bed twenty-four hours and the phone wouldn’t ring, the bulls wouldn’t get out, and no one would come visiting.”

His dark brows knit together above his eyes.

She giggled again. “Darlin’, it’s Granny Lanier. She’s going to be sure we stay on this side of the road.”

He laughed with her and scooped her up in his arms. He carried her up to the door and she opened it. When they were inside he kicked it shut with his foot. “I wouldn’t put anything past her and I’ll move my big bed over here anytime you want me to. Hell, I don’t care which side of the road we’re on.”

When he set her down on the kitchen floor she undid two buttons on his shirt and ran her hands inside across his broad, muscular chest and raised her lips to his for another passionate kiss. “I missed you too, but if the melons aren’t in, I’ll have to miss another weekend. Tell Raylen to take care of the stock for you and stay home with me.”

“If you keep touching me, I’ll tell the stock to starve and stay home with you,” he said.

“No, you will not let those bulls starve,” she said. “But that’s another day and right now I just want to make love with you and not think about watermelons or bulls.”

He slowly unzipped her dress while setting her on fire with kisses filled with so much emotion that she could hardly breathe. His hands roamed over her silky smooth skin, finding new places to ignite her desire.

She unbuttoned the rest of his shirt and rolled on top of him, shedding the dress on the way, and pressed her bare breasts against his chest.

He picked her up again and carried her to the bedroom. “Have I told you today that I love you?”

“Yes, six times on the text messages and three times on the phone. But that’s not enough so I’d like to hear it again.”

“I love you, Austin,” he whispered seductively in her ear.

“And I love you, but right now I’m interested in your body. I’m hot enough to burn down the whole town of Terral, Baptist church, school, and all.”

“Then I reckon we better put that fire out. You got any ideas,” he teased.

She pulled him over on top of her and said, “Yes, I do.”

It was dusk when she awoke from the sleep reserved for two people in love who’ve had too much mind-boggling sex. She opened her eyes to see him propped up on an elbow and staring down at her.

“Good morning.”

“Good evening,” he answered. “I should’ve told you before but we were interested in something else. I took your mother and aunts to brunch at the Hyatt yesterday morning.”

“I know.”

“And?”

“Aunt Clydia thought you were simply delicious. Mother wanted to know if we’d both sell out and come to Tulsa. She offered us the dealership. Straight up. No payments. No strings. And she offered to buy us a house.”

His heart stopped. Was she going to ask him to give up ranching to sell cars? “What did you tell her?”

“That I wasn’t interested in a good city boy, that I’d keep my bad boy with a tat and a John Deere tractor, and that I was keeping him in Jefferson County. No way was I taking him to Tulsa for all those women to try to take him away from me. I’d have to beat one of them until she was cold if she made a pass at you. So I’m sorry if you are disappointed that you don’t get to go to Tulsa and live the life of luxury. I’m too happy to leave Terral.”