Page 1 of The Cowboy's Surprise Return

1

Yesterday

Cole Wylder leaned against a wood-paneled wall and took in his bustling welcome-back party. The Watering Hole saloon, a bar that smelled of beer and the great outdoors, was filling up as though he’d been missed in the five years he’d been away. Five years to look back on the mistakes he’d made in his hometown of Sweetheart Creek, Texas.

Namely, the ones with his ex-girlfriend April MacFarlane, who he’d danced with earlier without either of them committing murder.

He must be a changed man, after all.

However, despite rumors to the contrary, he hadn’t come home to sweep her up in his arms, nor did he want her back. In fact, he had a strong suspicion she’d eloped with his younger brother Brant a month ago to thumb her nose at those rumors, as well as to prove she’d moved on.

And yet the gossip still floated through the air like mustard gas. Sometimes Cole felt he should pick up a fake girlfriend to help dispel those rumors, if not for his own sake, then for April and Brant’s.

He hadn’t known what to expect when he’d returned home, having such little contact over the years. If he was a betting man he’d have placed his chips on his father’s continued cold shoulder, and April running him out of town. So far, only the former would have won him the jackpot.

He lifted his beer to his lips, the button-up shirt he’d found in his old bedroom closet pulling at his shoulders as if trying to hold him back. In his peripheral vision he caught a few people whispering about him, looking away when he met their gaze. Fresh starts weren’t as easy as a person would think. He’d come home to mend fences, and turn away from the crazy things he used to say yes to.

No more putting the wild in Wylder.

Cole found himself glancing toward a table tucked at the front of the saloon where the long bar ended. Jackie Moorhouse was sitting alone, looking gorgeous in an off-the-shoulder top and smoky eye shadow that gave her a demure, mysterious vibe. He focused on the ceiling so she wouldn’t catch him staring. What was it about Jackie that kept drawing him in? They’d spoken on New Year’s Eve, as well as at his family’s Christmas dinner, and it had been awkward and uncomfortable. She was a woman who brought sunshine and laughter wherever she went, yet he swore she had shadows, too.

Like him.

As his gaze found Jackie again, he reminded himself that he’d sworn off women until the summer. He needed to focus on his family and rebuilding bridges. That had been his plan in coming home, and seeing their reluctance to open their arms and fully welcome him had only reinforced it. He’d earned their reservation by leaving without a goodbye and then not staying in contact.

“Nice to have you back.” Cole flinched when a slap on his shoulder left a stinging imprint. “Things were getting a little stale around here.” Wade Ross weaved his way onto the dance floor, spun around again and stumbled against a table, spilling drinks.

“What happened to him?” Cole muttered to himself. The man used to be a pillar of the community, heir to a pretty swank family business and smart enough to tutor Myles, the second youngest Wylder. But Wade sure wasn’t acting like a man who had it all.

“Did Wade say ’stale’?” his cousin Nick asked, coming to stand beside Cole as the latest song ended. He had a woman tucked close, the two of them out of breath from dancing. “Tell that to the sheriff.”

“I’m sure he’s enjoying some quiet,” Cole said, thinking how far back he and Nick’s troublemaking ways went.

“You remember Polly?” Nick asked, tightening his arm around his partner.

Cole guessed she was in her thirties, her posture hinting at a more refined life than her typical Texan cowgirl outfit suggested. Whatever her story, she seemed happy, and deeply in love. And it was obviously mutual. Cole’s wild and crazy cousin, who’d vowed he would never settle down, looked as though he wanted to put a ring on Polly’s finger.

How was it that everyone he knew had fallen in love—including all four of his brothers?

Hadeverythingchanged while he was away?

“Indigo Bay,” Polly said mildly.

“Of course,” Cole declared, as memories of summers away from the ranch flooded his mind. Nick and Polly had been inseparable as teens, while Cole had been chasing girls and sulking over missing a month of practicing rodeo back home. He’d received a few college scholarships but had never cashed them in, staying on the circuit and collecting belt buckles and trophies instead.

“How late does the party go tonight?” Nick asked.

Cole shrugged. He planned to leave long before closing time, and his old friend Trouble began sending out tempting invites.

“I don’t want to babysit you in the drunk tank all night,” Sheriff Conroy Johnson warned as he walked by, with several drinks clutched in his hands. “My granddaughter’s birthday party’s tomorrow, and I don’t want to be a walking zombie and miss it all.” He gave Cole and Nick a warning look.

“We’ll be good,” Cole promised.

The sheriff snorted and continued on.

“You two seem to have developed quite the reputation,” Polly said, eyeing the sheriff as he doled out the drinks to a table of middle-aged folks sitting near the band.

“We did.”

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