Page 7 of The Texas Cowboy's Proposal

“Not exactly,” he began, then saw the shadow of disappointment take the smile away. He hastened to add, “We’re going to meet her in town for dinner. At Dawson’s, your favorite place. Then you can thank her.”

“This is the best day ever! Let’s go.” Lacy placed the book on her desk in the corner in a flash, and she was back beside him. “Do you think she’ll like my jeans and my shirt? Should I wear a dress?”

For a moment, he was taken aback. For Lacy to mention the “d” word was a shock. He could count on one hand the number of times she had willingly put on a dress in her few years of life. Now she was willing to do so out of the blue. Perhaps he needed to keep a serious eye on the effect this “marriage” might have on his daughter, who clearly was showing signs of hero worship of a woman she had just barely met.

Easy does it. Those words would be a good mantra to keep on the front burner in all of this change that was about to turn their quiet world upside down. Was the real price of the free land and money in the bank worth it? He would have to be ever vigilant and make certain no hearts were broken in all of what was to come.Hearts in the plural?It was only his daughter’s he needed to safeguard. One small heart only.

Then why did he suddenly feel he might have miscalculated?

Chapter Four

It was ridiculous. Her stomach churned like a schoolgirl’s full of butterflies at meeting her first beau on a silly date. At least that’s the way Sammi Jo described it to herself as she sat at the table Beaudry had reserved for them. She was early. The table she had been shown to butted up against the huge floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the sidewalk and all of Main Street. Every eye in the restaurant’s front dining room would be able to see them as they ate. And every car and truck and passerby on the street would also have a great view. Beaudry had certainly made good on his decision to let the townspeople know that they were making a loud statement this evening.

It was a bit too loud of one for her, but then again, the clock was ticking and not in their favor. But this was just something else to be borne with as much patience as she could muster.Keep your eye on the prize.Those words echoed over and over in the back of her mind each time any niggle of doubt seeped in. Aces High was worth every moment of the next three years of her life.

Whatever it took, she would do. Even if it meant marrying the tall cowboy headed toward her at that moment. Their gazes met, but neither of them smiled. Until Lacy Hawkes let go of her father’s hand and fairly flew across the space, eyes bright, smile as wide as the state itself, and her little body animated. That brought a natural grin from Sammi. The tiny missile only stopped when she reached Sammi Jo’s side.

Her mouth opened, but no words came out. An anxious expression began to replace the faltering smile. Sammi Jo recognized the familiar signs of sudden shyness replacing the instantaneous excitement. She remembered the discomfort.

Sammi’s smile lit with encouragement and welcome. “Hello again, Lacy. Don’t you look pretty tonight? I love the blue color of your shirt. It’s a favorite of mine too. I’m so glad you came to have dinner with me tonight. Did you like the book?”

The little girl slid easily into the chair Sammi had indicated next to hers and thank goodness the brilliance returned in the little girl’s smile. Lacy’s head went into a nodding frenzy as her father sat down on the other side of her, across from Sammi’s position.

“Where are your manners, Lacy?” he gently prodded.

“Yes, yes, it was the best surprise ever. I read it to Beast too. It has so many pictures in it. I love it. Thank you very much for giving it to me.” She took a breath and a quick look over at her father to see if she did okay and left nothing out. He nodded his approval.

“I’m happy you and Beast are enjoying it. I loved reading it when I was about your age. I’m glad I remembered it was still in the library. Do you enjoy books?”

“I love to read. You can learn a lot of things and go to lots of places you’ve never been.”

“I felt the same way when I was your age. And I did read a lot all through school. I don’t have a lot of time to read now, and I miss that. But it’s good you love to read. We have a lot of books at my home. When you come to visit, you can certainly look at them and borrow whatever you would like.”

“Really? You have your very own library? When can we go to her house, Daddy?”

“We will visit soon enough, Lacy. Take a look at the menu so we can order when the waitress comes our way. Or do you want your usual?”

“The usual, I am betting.” Those words were spoken by the tall man who had approached their table and stood just between Lacy and Beaudry with a welcoming smile on his face. Dawson Hambrick was the owner of Dawson’s Gastronomic Eatery and Saloon, a transplanted Aussie when his mother, a divorcee with a six-year-old son, came to Texas on a two-week vacation and ended up staying for the next forty years when she met and married Dawson’s rancher stepfather. Dawson, six foot three, spare as a rod and with flaming red hair evident in his beard and his shoulder-length hair bound back in his usual ponytail, cut quite a figure among the usual jeans-and-boots cowboy contingent that were his normal customers. Spending two months every year since his arrival back in Australia with his biological father had kept his Aussie roots alive and his speech tinged with an accent that gave the Texas twang a run for its money. The fact that he served excellent home-cooked Texas food made the locals overlook other facets of his eccentricities.

“Three steak fingers, curly fries, a side of green beans, one corn muffin, strawberry jam, a glass of milk—did I get it right?” Dawson eyed Lacy with a grin on his face. “And if you manage all of that, I am betting there is a fresh-made pan of my banana pudding in the fridge that I might be willing to part with a bowl of for dessert.”

“I think that seals the deal, Dawson.” Beaudry grinned. “And what about you?” His gaze landed on Sammi Jo.

“I promise to eat all my grilled chicken breast dinner, too, if I can have some of that banana pudding included.”

“I can see where this is going. I might need to make another pan of pudding. Let’s get your dinner orders turned in and then we’ll see about that dessert.”

After Dawson departed, there was a quiet lapse of conversation at the table. Lacy tested the waters. “Do you have a dog at your house?”

Sammi Jo nodded. “We have four working ranch dogs. They keep busy with the hands going out and working with our stock when they’re needed. I’ve only had one dog as a pet when I was younger... about your age and until I was twelve or so.”

Sammi Jo maintained the smile on her face while a pause stretched into silence.

“Miss Sammi Jo might be interested in hearing about your school and other things.” It was a gentle hint, but Sammi caught the brief knowledge in those eyes that Beaudry knew a change of subject would be welcome. And that gave her a different pause. Perhaps there were more layers to the man than she might have given him credit for. This just might be a learning experience, however brief, for all of them.

“Yes, I would like to hear about your school. What grade are you in?”

“I’m in the fourth grade, even though I’m still eight. But I’ll be nine in November. My teacher is Miss Crawford. She’s nice. I’m one of her helpers in the classroom.”

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