Page 4 of The Texas Cowboy's Lady

Jaxson eyed the man. The designer jeans under the casual expensiveness of a lightweight jacket of some gray cloth open to reveal a cream shirt. Jaxson made a slow inspection, from the perfectly swept-back dark hair caught into some leather knot at the back of his head and the trimmed bit of goatee on his chin to the tip of his shiny brown lizard boots that screamed of money and very little dirt. He kept the urge to laugh outright under control. So, this was the man Laurel had chosen for herself?

This should be fun.He stopped himself from leaning over and depositing a loogy on those stupid boots. With any luck, this would be a very short visit.

Sammi Jo stepped into the breach between the two sides of the divide. She flashed her smile at her brother-in-law. It was clearly backed up by the spark he was well acquainted with in her eyes leveled on him. “And here is my favorite brother-in-law, Jaxson Hawkes. You’ll see him around all over the place as he is the oil that makes all of this look and run easier than it is and allows many to appear smarter than we think.” The easy laughs cracked the thin layer of ice. She followed up with a wink in his direction and then made a pointed look at her sister.

“Seems my sister has left her manners somewhere over New Mexico on the way here. So let me introduce you, Jaxson, to Sean Collins, our Laurel’s freshly minted fiancé from California. I know you’ll take the time to make him welcome during his stay here and show him some of the areas that make the Aces High so special.”

Jaxson nodded toward the man. “I’d shake hands, but I’ve been castrating some cattle this morning among other things we do here on a daily basis.”

A well-manicured hand shot up to match the shaking head. “That is perfectly understandable. I look forward to seeing the ranch, but do not plan to be a bother—just an observer.”

Jaxson just gave another nod and a smile to Sammi, pushing the stained crown of his straw cowboy hat down tighter on his head. “And now I do have some things to ‘oil,’ as our boss lady said, so excuse me.” He opened the door of the black double-cabbed truck beside him and was inside in one smooth move. Sammi Jo stepped into the void again, leaning toward the open window.

“Dinner will be at seven. On the patio.”

“My apologies,” Jaxson responded with a wider smile in her direction, but in a voice all could hear. “I’ve already told Beaudry I’ve dinner plans tonight with a friend in Abilene. I’ll have to take a rain check. If you need anything tonight, Ben has the watch. I should be back before sunup. Have fun.” The truck’s engine roared to life, and he made his escape.

*

“Interesting scene,” Seanmurmured for Laurel’s ears only. “Fascinating undercurrents. My director’s nose smells something there.”

“That’s fresh cattle poop coming from the pens around the hill from us.” Laurel bit out the sarcastic response under her breath. They fell into step just behind Sammi Jo, and Lacy ran ahead to open the massive wooden door at the top of the wide steps.

“You’ve got your usual suite of rooms, Laurel, and Carmella also added the suite next to yours. I wasn’t sure how much space you wanted, so you have plenty to choose from.” She tossed that bit over her shoulder as they stepped into the cooler interior with the winding staircase to the upper regions.

The look on Sean’s face was not unexpected. Laurel smiled. They were used to the shock and awe greeting from first-time guests crossing the threshold as they tried to find the words for what they’d suddenly stepped into. “I know you had shown me a couple of photos before we left to come here, but this... this is...”

“It’s home,” Laurel finally spoke up, stepping over to share a hug with her sister. They smiled in unison at Sean. “It takes a while for most to get used to it. It’s big. It’s grand in the old ways of the cattle barons, and yet I see my sister has taken some steps to modernize it, also, and that is as it should be. Each generation has left their imprint on it for good and bad. But don’t let it overwhelm you. And don’t worry, we’ll leave a trail of breadcrumbs for you to follow in case you get lost.” They laughed then.

“Why am I not so sure that is a joke?” Sean shook his head at them, smiling at the pair. “Could you leave extra in case I get truly lost and might need some food along the way?”

Sammi Jo smiled at her daughter. “Lacy, can you show Mr. Collins the way upstairs to the suites?” To Sean, she said, “And I’ll send my sister up in just a few minutes.”

“How about I show him upstairs and get to meet him?” The voice belonged to Beaudry, who had come from another doorway set in an alcove behind the stairs.

He came over and hugged Laurel. “It’s about time you made an appearance back here. Thought you might have lost your sense of direction and where home was located.”

“And there it is, the first of many jabs about Texas and home and so forth. I warned you, Sean, it would be my sister, but now it seems it might be a tag-team effort from the pair of them.”

“I totally understand that. I get the same treatment from my mother whenever I find New York City is still on the same map as California.” They all laughed, and Beaudry shook the man’s hand.

“I see you haven’t been castrating anything today,” Sean shared.

Beaudry paused with a questionable set of his head. Laurel laughed. “It seems your foreman and brother couldn’t shake hands, his excuse being he had spent the morning castrating cattle.”

Beaudry slowly nodded. “I see. Yes, he is a busy man.”

“Busy indeed. Seems he is already booked for dinner too. In Abilene.”

“Abilene?” Beaudry responded. “That must be where his Arabella is from. He did mention they had a dinner date tonight. But let’s don’t stand here in the hallway—let’s get everyone settled in.” He took the two suitcases that Ben had set in the hallway on their arrival and led the way ahead of Sean, who had his carry-on bag and Laurel’s.

Sammi Jo pulled Laurel along in her wake into a smaller sitting room off the main hall. Lacy headed toward the kitchen at the back of the main floor, leaving them alone.

“Okay, give me the scoop on this fiancé of yours.” Sammi Jo wasted little time, settling hips against the edge of her desk, folding her arms, waiting for the information.

“I told you most of it already on the phone. We met at one of those awards luncheons, then again for drinks a couple of days later. He became almost a mentor to me, helping me avoid mistakes and keeping my head above water and away from the sharks in the deep end. Sean opened doors I would still be hammering on if he hadn’t come to my aid. He and CeeCee, who is our wedding planner and will be here in a few days, became surrogate family. She is a sweetheart, and I know you will love her.”

“There seems to be a lot left out, like what is he like? Where is he from? How long did it take to fall for him?”

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