Page 4 of The Cowboy's Off Limits Option

Mom makes a "hmm" noise that isn't part of her tune and I feel like she's making a note about my comment that I hope she doesn't try to explore.

"Rowan's your friend."

"Rowan is our feed supplier. The only one in a fifty mile radius and the only good one within a hundred miles."

"So then, if Rowan was supportive, you'd ask Callie out?"

Damn, ma. I roll my eyes and do my level best not to look guilty when she looks straight at me with the big knife in her hand that she uses for the vegetables.

"Mom," I take a step and lean in to kiss my mother's cheek, sneaking a carrot off the counter behind her as I do. "This is why Ranger talked a stranger into playing pretend, remember? You need to lay off."

"Well things certainly worked out for your brother and Serenity, maybe you shouldn't be so quick to brush me off."

Ma goes back to chopping up veggies for dinner while I take advantage of the chance to sneak out of the house before she can give me any more "good reasons" why Callie and I would make a good couple.

"Range found his own girl, Mom. Love you, but you're way off here. Gotta go."

Mom's saying something about how she doesn't want her grandkids spaced too far apart so me and my younger brother, Lance, need to get busy finding women soon.

Ever since my older brothers settled down over this summer, Mom's been working overtime on the match-making.

Lance and I give her a lot of grace, seeing as how Dad passed away earlier in the year. Mom's all by herself in the big house now and damn Gunner and Ranger for getting her so excited about grandkids to spoil.

Of course, we all know my baby brother's heart is locked down already. The whole town-- and the girl who's gonna get stuck with him-- is just waiting for him to wise up to the fact and do something about it.

I'm the only one who's gonna end up letting Ma down. Because if it's not Callie, it's not gonna be anybody.

Ma means well, but she doesn't understand just how big a problem it would be if I went for Cal. I can't risk Rowan taking out his anger with me on the ranch by refusing to do businesswith us anymore. Then it wouldn't just be Row kicking my ass, my brothers would help him.

Though, damn, if it meant putting my ring on Callie's finger? Having her warm body wrapped around mine at night and being able to hold her hand in public and call her mine?

The toe of my boot hits one of the larger rocks in the long, private drive that runs between Mom's house and the ones us boys have built on the property. The rock goes flying, skittering over the others until it comes to a rest several feet in front of me.

Fuck yeah, man. For the chance to call Callie mine, I'd risk a whole helluva a lot. Even if it meant I'd be demoted to driving the feed trailer myself after Rowan blacklists the Delta O.

Chapter Three

Callie

"Hey Cal."

The rich voice calling my name from the front of the small florist shop I opened just a few months ago, has my heart kicking into overdrive. My hands shake so bad that I'm forced to put the vase I just picked up back down on the table where I'm putting together bouquets of early fall color in the back room.

Calm down, Cal. I admonish myself for getting flustered. I've known the man most of my life, after all. It's not like I haven't had dozens of conversations with him.

"I'm back here, Dean, just come on through."

Seconds later, a tall figure blocks the light streaming in from the front retail area where the morning sunlight is spilling through the big windows.

"Those are pretty."

Archer has his hat in his hands, worrying the brim as he nods toward the buckets of marigolds and chrysanthemums I have lined up on my work table for easy access.

"September," I mutter, "time for fall already."

There was a time when it was a lot easier to talk to him. Even when I was a teenager, going through the most painful part of my hopeless crushing, I could still stand to be in the same room with him and talk easily.

Things have been different between us since I got back from school though. It's like Archer ran out of things to say to me while I was away.

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