Page 13 of The Texas Cowboy's Proposal

Tallie sat staring without saying a word, not even a blink. Sammi Jo was a little worried. “You did hear what I just said, right? All of it? Blink once for no, twice for yes.”

There were two blinks. All was good. She took another sip of coffee.

“I would say that your grandmother was insane, but then she was the sanest person I ever met. Chillingly so. But did she have a brain fart or something? A mini-stroke during that paragraph of her will? Why marriage? Why tohim?”

“I guess it’s tied up in feeling sorry about that old vendetta. Grandpa made Jaxson his main foreman, so that should have been enough, right? But for some reason, along comes Grandmother and she has to one up her husband, I guess. Sacrifice me on the altar to make a point that she was more magnanimous? Did she finally believe that, for whatever antiquated reason, a male has to be at the helm? But why only three years?

“That part doesn’t make that much sense to me, but then none of it really does. I just know that he and I have discussed things. And she made it quite profitable for him to not turn down the deal. So for the next month, or at least twenty-six days, we are seeing if we can get through each day without killing each other and make this work with Lacy involved too. It’s quite a mess the old lady left, unless I run with the cash in hand as far from here as possible. That would be the easy thing to do. But not the best. You know me. Why take the shortcut when you can take the longest route?”

“Why, indeed? I have often asked, usually after I have been talked into going along some of those long routes with you, much to my dismay.” Tallie added a grin at the end. “Sounds like you have quite a deep well to crawl out of. Beaudry in this for the payoff at the end?”

“He’d be a fool not to be.”

“That good, is it? Then he is no fool. What can I do to help? I volunteer to be maid of honor. As long as there isn’t some hideous dress to wear.”

“The job is yours. And there won’t be any hideous dress—if we make it to that day. Just a visit to the judge’s office and back to work, marking off each day of the thirty-six-month sentence. No one but a Burkitt will ever touch its history. Just keep reminding me.”

“You got it.”

“And what can you tell me about a Crawford that teaches at the elementary school? She’s Lacy’s teacher.”

“Hmm, Crawford? That would be Amanda Crawford, the only child of Leslie and Josh Crawford. He retired from the drugstore about four years ago. You remember him—he made those great chocolate sundaes for us at the old soda fountain. Amanda taught for a while in Dallas after graduating SMU. Then she came here when a spot opened. Why do you want the skinny on her?”

“I just got the impression last night at the open house at the school that she might see herself as the next Mrs. Beaudry Hawkes.”

“I see. Checking out the competition. That sounds a little more promising for those three years to not be so boring, maybe?”

“Okay, get that thought out of your head. I just don’t need any outside interests cluttering things up and causing problems during this briefbusiness arrangement. That’s all it is.”

“Did you ask your intended fiancé? Maybe he might be the best source. Of course, after Sandy Lou did her number on him, he hasn’t had too much of an itch to scratch along those lines. He’s been a dad and mom and doing a pretty good job of it from what I’ve heard.”

“Lacy is an amazing little girl. She is a bit shy, but she has this incredible talent for art, too. I think she might really have some hidden talent there to be explored. She’s already moved up a grade in school. She’s that smart. And so mannerly and...” Sammi Jo paused. “What’s with that look?”

“Sounds like you’ve fallen for the child at least. I never really knew that you were so fond of kids.”

“Well, she’s an easy child to like. And that’s why I want to make sure this whole marriage thing won’t be such an impact on her. That’s the last thing I would want.”

“Seems like that might not be avoidable. I mean if you were to get attached to her and she to you. She’s been without a mother figure in her life for most of it already. But if anyone can figure it out, it’s you. And I know her dad will do the same.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Keep telling me that.” Sammi Jo stood. “Now put some of that positive spin on us getting the rest of the work done on the new watering hole today with machinery that is being ornery. I’ve got to go pick up a part that just came in. We’ll get together this weekend.”

“Give Beaudry my best. And that handsome brother of his too.” Tallie added the last quickly as Sammi Jo shot a wave over her shoulder as the door shut behind her.

*

“Here’s the part.”Sammi Jo stepped up to the side of the bulldozer with its engine compartment opened upward. The person she thought was Ray Donovan, one of the ranch mechanics, was bent almost double, trying to get a stubborn bolt or some such loosened, judging by the colorful words she had heard flying around as she walked up.

If her focus hadn’t still been back at the coffee shop with Tallie’s remarks, she might have realized sooner that the back part of the male bent over the machinery in front of her was in a bit better shape—make that a whole lot better shape—in a pair of nicely fitted jeans. Ray had quite a few extra pounds on him, and the backside of the man in front of her was certainly in great shape. That fact began to sink into her brain just as another colorful word flew.

“Sounds like the machine is getting the better of you, Ray. Didn’t you say that no machine could do that to you? Guess you met your match.”

“Well, since I’m not Ray, I won’t take it personally.” The man stood upright, and she was face-to-face with Beaudry, who looked hot and sweaty and streaked with black grease along one side of his face and down the sleeve of a shirt that had a long tear in the material.

“I would guess that the machine is winning this round by the looks of it. Where’s Ray? And why are you working on Burkitt machinery?”

“Now there is the Sammi Jo I know. Ray had to go to take care of a broken stall door on the stallion barn right quick while we waited for the part you were retrieving. I was here when he got the call, so I said I would get the gasket out of the way so he could switch parts as soon as you got back. Don’t worry. I won’t charge you for my time or the fact your machine ruined one of my favorite shirts. Hand over the part.” His outstretched hand waited.

“This is Ray’s job.”

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