Page 20 of Seaside Cowboy's Second Chance

The wrong choice in different circumstances?He tried to wrap his mind around her words and failed. He didn’t get hints. He liked things open and clear. Not diluted. Not alluded to.

Silence hung between them, thick and heavy, underscored by the customer’s lively chatter at the counter.

Did she have the same memories he had, or did she push them away to start a new life without him?

“I made my decision.” Mrs. Rafferty broke the silence. “No offense, Skylar, but it’s going to be a white cake with pineapple filling.” She got up, and this time, Skylar rushed to her grandmother and offered her elbow, leaving him just tagging along. Mrs. Rafferty placed her order at the counter.

“Sounds great. I’ll let my sister know. Thank you very much.” Patty talked to Mrs. Rafferty but stared at Dallas.

Skylar’s gaze flicked between him and Patty, and then her eyebrows edged up. A sad, understanding smile curved her lips. She wasn’t even jealous. But then, why would she be?

Besides, he was here on a mission—sort of. And it wasn’t to pay attention to Skylar’s lips or eyes. It was to ensure her safety.

Stepping away from the counter with Skylar, Mrs. Rafferty patted his arm with her free hand. “Let’s go to the stationery store now.”

He nodded. “I’ll ask my uncle to give you a good deal.”

A small town was a small world indeed, and his uncle owned that store. As his cousins left for other states, Dallas and his brothers sometimes helped at the store. He’d done the heavy lifting of unloading new merchandise and moving things around while his more sociable brothers covered the counter from time to time.

He walked to the front glass door of the pastry store, checked the outdoor surroundings, then opened the door for Skylar and her grandmother when nothing seemed suspicious. But then, would he even know what was suspicious?

Unfamiliar people? Though the season didn’t start yet and they didn’t have crowds, tourists had already trickled in. His senses on high alert, he walked close to Mrs. Rafferty and Skylar across the parking lot to Skylar’s silver-gray sedan. Then he followed them in his truck on the way to the stationery store. Skylar wasn’t going to be run off the road on his watch.

He wasn’t the best candidate for a bodyguard, but he was the one who showed up. That should mean something, right?

Soon, he pulled up to the artsy stationery store that doubled as a gallery and souvenir shop, grateful to find a parking spot. No, he didn’t resent tourists. After all, they helped their small town survive and thrive. He just preferred large open spaces occupied by cows and horses over small confined ones with crowds.

His gut tightened. He didn’t like confined places since... Well, best not to remember.

The store’s floor-to-ceiling window display boasted framed watercolors done by local artists, the artwork placed on a bed of seashells and smooth pebbles. Skylar’s gaze stopped on the watercolors done by other people, then moved along, carefully blank. Unable to read her mind now, he opened the teak front door for her and her grandmother.

Once, this place had displayed her work. But those watercolors had sold out over a decade ago. Yet her presence somehow lingered even here, maybe because of some of the greeting cards.

Skylar’s eyes widened. “They still carry my designs.”

“Welcome back, Skylar. Good afternoon, Mrs. Rafferty. Hi, bro.” One of Dallas’s younger brothers stepped out from around the counter. Kai’s dark hair—the darkest in the family—was mostly hidden beneath a black bandanna, and a gold earring glistened in his ear. The hoop earring, bandanna, striped T-shirt, and mischievous look weren’t just a pirate disguise to attract tourists. Kai was one of Dallas’s rebellious brothers, or at least used to be when he’d gotten them all in trouble in their teens. Behind the counter, however, he was politeness itself. Mostly.

Kai also had the most mysterious story of them all. One morning, early, Mom had found a one-year-old boy abandoned at the beach. He could say a few words, but couldn’t answer where his mommy was or where his home was. After settling some legal matters and lots of arguments with her husband, Mom adopted the little boy. She guessed the boy must have Asian heritage, but they’d never learned more of his story. Mom treated Kai like one of her sons. Dad didn’t—meaning Kai was the only boy in the family Dad hadn’t beaten up.

“My aunt says those designs are popular with customers.” Kai grinned, layering on his charm. The only thing missing was a parrot on his shoulder, but that was because Quiet was at home today. Two days ago, the bird had learned a few swear words from a store visitor and then swore at a customer. Their mother wouldn’t stand for swearing, and neither he nor their brothers ever swore. Now all of them had tried to teach Quiet to unlearn those words, but so far unsuccessfully.

“You’re very talented, my dear.” Loving pride gushed in Mrs. Rafferty’s voice, but did sadness underplay it?

“I’m sure my uncle would love to sell your work again,” Kai said.

“Thank you. Please give him my thanks, but...” Based on the way Skylar’s neck moved, she swallowed hard. “I–I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

“That’s a pity.” Kai voiced Dallas’s thoughts. Probably all of their thoughts.

Her fingers touched a postcard, and his heart skipped a beat. He knew the place where the breathtaking sunrise photo was taken. It was one of their favorite places at the bay. And it still hurt. Did her eyes glisten?

Her gaze swept over key chains, refrigerator magnets, mugs, towels, T-shirts, and other ocean-themed souvenirs. It slid along the walls with other artists’ watercolors and oil paintings until it stopped at a new one Dallas hadn’t seen before depicting a cliff, pelted in the rain. The dark sky zigzagged with a lightning bolt, and the steep drop overlooked the churning ocean.

Her entire demeanor changed. She shuddered and took a sharp breath. And the look in her eyes... It was pure horror as if she were the one in the painting, standing on the cliff’s edge, being buffeted by the wind, and scared to make the next step.

He stepped toward her, aching to comfort her despite everything. “Are you all right?”

But Mrs. Rafferty was closer. She squeezed Skylar’s delicate fingers and shook her head nearly imperceptibly.

---