Wrangled by the Watchful Cowboy Read online

  Wrangled by the Watchful Cowboy

  Sage Valley Ranch Romance Book 3

  Tamie Dearen

  Are you ready to escape to the countryside? With sunlit fields, down-home cooking, horseback riding and more, the beautiful Texas Hill Country is the perfect destination for a sweet cowboy romance.

  Curl up with a memorable cast of characters—and even a few spunky animals—in a heartwarming group series that’ll keep you laughing and swooning from one clean romance to the next. The books can be read in any order, so jump in wherever you like and get ready to fall in love with Sage Valley Ranch…where country life is sweet, and romance is even sweeter.

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  Copyright © 2019 by Tamie Dearen

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  To all my friends who struggle against the odds

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Also by Tamie Dearen

  1

  “I probably shouldn’t say this…”

  “That’s never stopped you before, has it?” Jessica Powell smiled at the sheepish expression on her grandmother’s face.

  “I get a new white hair every time I speak my mind.” Sharon Buchanan laughed and shook her head, pointing at her curls—mostly salt, with a bit of pepper. “Obviously, I have no ability to hold my tongue.”

  As the kettle whistled, Jess rose from the table and put a hand on her grandmother’s shoulder. “Stay here, Nanna. I’ll get the hot chocolate. I’m excited you have your special mix, even though it’s summer.”

  “I like to turn up the air conditioner so I can drink it all year.” Nanna cleared her throat. “As I was saying, I’m glad you dumped Parker.”

  “Actually, he did the dumping,” Jess said, “but I’d been thinking about it.”

  “Well, I say good riddance. He barely touched the dinner I cooked when you brought him to meet us. He turned up his nose as if our food was too countrified for him.”

  “Don’t take it personally. He’s a vegan, so he couldn’t eat your chicken-fried steak. That’s why he always brings food with him.” Jess put a third cup of cocoa mix into each mug and added hot water.

  “Vegan, huh? I had plenty of vegetables. He didn’t eat those either.”

  “Yes, but you season everything with bacon. That’s a no-no for vegans.”

  “No bacon?” Nanna wrinkled her nose as she accepted the cup of hot chocolate.

  “No meat of any kind or milk or cheese or eggs or honey.” Jess rejoined her grandmother at the small kitchen table, idly stirring her cocoa with a spoon.

  “I don’t think I’d want to go on living if I couldn’t eat those things. Did he try to turn you into a vegan? Is that why you broke up with him?”

  Jess blew on her cocoa and took a sip, relishing the delicious rich chocolate. “I told you, he broke up with me.”

  Nanna scrunched her brows as if she had a hard time accepting this information. “Why? You’re about as perfect as a girl could be. Beautiful. Smart. Barrel-racing champion.”

  “You’re a bit prejudiced, Nanna, but thanks for that.” Jess warmed under her grandma’s approval. “He didn’t really know about the barrel racing. I haven’t done it since I transferred to UNT Dallas.”

  “You didn’t tell him?”

  “Trust me, he wouldn’t have been impressed. He didn’t even like my cowboy boots.”

  “You gave up your boots for Parker?”

  “I didn’t wear them around Parker. Honestly, I think his mother pressured him to break off the engagement. The Browns are big socialites in Dallas, and I wasn’t from a rich family or polished enough to play one.” Jess gripped her mug, irritated that the rejection still bothered her. “I think he only cared about my looks. He was always warning me I’d get fat if I ate too much.”

  This information sent Nanna’s eyes into a slow roll. “Well, that proves it! I knew I was right about him. He was way too snobby.” She lifted her mug, pausing before she drank. “Did you know he told Bucky he couldn’t imagine people paying money to stay out here in the middle of nowhere?”

  Jess felt guilty, hating that her sweet Grandpa Bucky—otherwise known as Peter Buchanan—had gotten his feelings hurt. She swallowed a spoonful of cocoa, feeling even more relieved that she no longer sported Parker’s two-carat diamond on her finger. She’d been so enamored with him, but she now realized the attraction was purely physical.

  “Honestly, Nanna, I don’t even think I was in love with him.” She glanced at her grandmother, whose expression softened, giving an encouraging nod. “I was just in love with the idea of him. One thing’s for sure, I was never going to be good enough for him.”

  “Pish-posh! He wouldn’t know the perfect girl if you hit him in the face. And maybe you should’ve.”

  “Nanna!”

  “I won’t apologize. I’m just glad you dumped him.”

  “But I—”

  “You’ll find the right guy, if you look in the right places.”

  “Well, I’m not looking.” Jess bobbed her chin to emphasize her determination. “I’ve sworn off guys altogether, at least until after I graduate next May.”

  “I think that’s wise.” Nanna paused, clearing her throat. “Unless the right guy happens to come along. Then, you should make an exception.”

  Jess sipped her cocoa, contemplating her response, in light of her grandmother’s suspicious behavior. “Nick said I shouldn’t get in a rebound relationship.”

  “Since when are any of your brothers experts on romance?” Nanna grinned behind her mug and took another swallow.

  “Zander and Cohen always keep their mouths shut. It’s only Nick who has to put in his two cents on every decision I make. I told him to mind his own business. But in this case, I think he’s right.”

  “I don’t know.” Nanna tilted her head, as if the matter were of utmost importance. “You and Parker broke up four months ago.”

  The problem was she didn’t trust herself anymore. “I don’t need a guy, to be happy.”

  “Darn tootin’ you don’t!” Nanna’s mug slammed onto the wood table. Luckily it was almost empty. “You’re strong, like all the Clark women,” she declared, using her mother’s maiden name.

  “So you agree I don’t need a man?”

  “Of course, you don’t need one.” She paused until she had Jessica’s full attention. “But if you find the right man, you’ll want one. And we Clark women always get what we want.”

  Despite Nanna’s playful wink, Jess knew she meant what she said.

  “I’ll keep that in mind, but I’m not in a hurry.”

  “You don’t have to hurry. But you also shouldn’t throw away a perfect opportunity.”

 
“What are you talking about?” Jess shot Nanna a narrow-eyed glare.

  “All I’m saying is you deserve someone who’ll treat you like a queen. Someone like my Bucky.” Nanna reached across the table to pat Jessica’s hand, her expression the picture of innocence. “Have you considered dating someone from home? A nice country boy? Maybe someone you went to school with?”

  “Sage Valley High is a small school.” Jess tried to guess where her grandma’s conversation was headed. “There was no one I liked.”

  “No one?” Nanna carefully smoothed and folded her paper napkin, her eyes averted. “What about Cord Dennison?”

  Jessica’s heart sped up at the mention of her closest brother’s best friend, but she kept her expression carefully neutral. She’d been secretly in love with the hunky boy for as long as she could remember, writing page after page of “Mrs. Cord Dennison” and “Jessica Dennison” in the private notebook she’d kept hidden under her mattress. But he’d left for college before she started high school. “What about Cord?”

  “Didn’t you have a thing for him?”

  How does she know? I don’t remember telling her.

  “I might’ve had a little crush on him when I was in seventh grade and he was a senior. But he left Sage Valley nine years ago and hasn’t been back.” With her cheeks burning, Jess studied the flowers on her mug. “What difference does it make, anyway? Nick told me Cord’s at a big-shot software firm in New York. I won’t see him again unless he’s the best man at Nick’s wedding someday. And let’s face it, that’s probably never going to happen.”

  “Oh, I think you may run into him sooner than you think.”

  Jess jerked her gaze to Nanna, but the dinging timer drew her grandmother’s attention. She rose to retrieve a pan from the oven. “Are you sure you can’t stay and eat a couple of fresh biscuits?”

  “No, I already ate a protein bar for breakfast.”

  Nanna tsked her disapproval. “That’s not enough to get you through a morning of hard work.”

  Jess ignored her scolding, though she was probably right. But thoughts of Cord had taken her appetite away, so she gave up on finishing her cocoa. “What were you saying about Cord? Is he back in Sage Valley?”

  Nanna placed her cup in the sink and turned around, leaning back on the counter. “He came home to spend some time with his dad before he passed.”

  A violent shiver shook her body, putting herself in Cord’s place. “I would’ve done the same thing, I think. I’d have gone up to Oklahoma to be with Mom and Dad.”

  “Let’s pray that doesn’t happen,” said Nanna. “Cord’s father passed within two months of his diagnosis. Now his mom’s staying with his sister, Caroline, and Cord’s putting the ranch on the market.”

  “Cord didn’t go back to his job in New York?” Feeling guilty, Jess struggled to hide her mounting excitement. I can’t be happy Cord’s home under such awful circumstances.

  “He’s still doing his work, but he does it on his computer, somehow. He’s with a new company. Some outfit called Phantom Enterprises.”

  “Wow. Don’t you know who that is, Nanna? They’re like the biggest tech company in the country.” Jess took one last sip of her cocoa and rinsed her mug out.

  “Bucky and I don’t exactly keep up with new stuff.” Nanna swept her hand around the kitchen, which looked exactly the same as Jessica’s childhood memories. “Cord came out to the ranch the week after the funeral and talked to Bucky and me for two hours. He seemed to want an excuse to hang around, and we gave him one.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We hired him.” Nanna continued her explanation as she opened the dishwasher and loaded it. “As Cord puts it, he’s going to bring Sage Valley Ranch into the twenty-first century. He’s revamping our entire computer system—the accounting, the webpage, the payroll software… everything. And he promised to teach us how to keep it going when he’s gone.”

  “That’s nice of him.” Jess knew they couldn’t be paying him much.

  “To be honest, we’re counting on him to get us back in the black.” Nanna loaded the last plate and shut the dishwasher, turning to face Jess. “Cord’s doing some kind of profit and loss analysis on the ranch. We’ve been running half empty the past few years, even in the summer, and Bucky had to take out an operating loan. If we don’t turn things around, we’ll have to close the doors.”

  “Shut down Sage Valley Ranch?” Jess jumped to her feet and marched to stand nose to nose with her grandmother. “Why didn’t you tell me things were tight, Nanna? Listen to me… I’m working free this summer. I absolutely insist.”

  Nanna’s finger wagged in Jessica’s face. “This is exactly why Bucky and I didn’t tell you. We knew you’d throw a fit about being paid. But the truth is we really need you. I had to bribe your mother with one of my antique quilts to let you spend the summer here instead of with them in Oklahoma.”

  “She traded me for an old blanket. I see what I’m really worth,” Jess teased.

  “I’m counting on you to lead the trail rides. Cord saved us a lot of money, staffing the summer positions with volunteers.” Nanna bent to check the contents of the oven. “Unfortunately, none of them know much about horses.”

  “What are they good for?” In Jessica’s opinion, nothing else was important.

  “Lots of other stuff. He put his head together with Charlotte, and they came up with some creative ideas. Two girls are leading daily outdoor yoga and workout classes. Cord has a couple of the guys in charge of water sports.” With a clean sponge, Nanna wiped her already spotless counters. “He’s also set up daily activities aimed at elementary-aged kids, to give parents a chance to go off on their own.”

  “That sounds pretty good,” Jess admitted. Jess liked Charlotte, or Charlie as she liked to be called, who was in charge of guest relations at the ranch.

  “He’s already got us booked solid for the summer. I think we’ll be out of the red in no time, although Cord’s still worried about the cattle production end of things.”

  Jessica’s mind churned. “I’ll let you pay me at the end of the summer, but only if Sage Valley is making a profit.”

  “It’s a deal,” Nanna said. “Cord’s dropping by this morning.”

  “He is?” Jess peeled her tongue from the roof of her suddenly parched mouth. She wasn’t ready to face her childhood crush. Her hand rose to touch her hair, pulled up in a hasty bun. She hadn’t even bothered to put on makeup.

  I’m probably worried for nothing. He can’t possibly be as cute as the boy from my seventh-grade memories. No one in real life has eyes that blue or shoulders that broad.

  “When is he coming?”

  Before Nanna could answer, the doorknob rattled, sending Jessica’s stomach into her throat. She whipped around as the door opened. A long, boot-clad leg entered, followed by another. Her eyes traveled upward, past narrow hips and the muscles straining against a black t-shirt, to a strong jaw with a short growth of beard and a full-lipped mouth that set hers to watering. This was not the charming boy of her childhood dreams. Cord Dennison was rugged, handsome, and 100% man. His dark close-cropped hair set off widening crystal blue eyes, the color more intense than any of her faded memories. No wonder she’d been so smitten all those years.

  Nanna leaned close and whispered in her ear, jerking her back to reality. “You might want to close your mouth before it gets stuck open.”

  2

  Before Cord stepped into the Buchanan’s kitchen, he stopped to complete his phone conversation in private.

  “But I don’t want to take advantage of your generosity, Mr. Anderson.”

  “The way I see it, you’ve stayed right on target with this project, and it’s only costing us half your salary.”

  Cord wasn’t surprised at his boss’ good-natured laugh. Finn Anderson, one of the four kingpins at Phantom Enterprises, had proven his compassion as often as his intellect. Cord had been working sixteen hours a day trying to juggle all his responsibiliti
es and keep everyone happy. If only he wasn’t fighting a growing desire to stay in Sage Valley, all would be good.

  “I really appreciate you letting me work online.” Cord hesitated. Anderson deserved nothing short of complete honesty. “But I need to tell you something else. Since I’ve been back, I feel like… like maybe I belong here, instead of New York.”

  The blood pulsed like a bass drum in Cord’s ears as the seconds ticked by.

  “Cord, you have to do what’s best for you, but I won’t give up easy. I recruited you away from Abrams-Madison because I thought your background in creative software development made you perfect for this job. And I was right. As usual.” He chuckled. “Let’s keep this dialogue open. When you call each week, you can tell me what you’re thinking.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Anderson.”

  “Finn,” he corrected.

  Though his larger-than-life boss was only five years older, Cord had a hard time calling him by his first name. Almost too nice to be real, Finn was likely a genius as far as Cord could tell. Yet he’d confessed that he didn’t intend to have a family or even marry, which seemed odd to Cord. If the talk around the water-cooler was correct, there were plenty of women who’d volunteer to change Finn’s mind, if they got the chance.

  “Thank you, Finn. I’ll call you next week and give you an update.”

  As was the custom, Cord didn’t knock before stepping inside the Buchanans’ back kitchen entrance. Sharon had an open-door policy after eight o’clock. Per her request, he’d been dropping by each morning to let her know how things were progressing. That she always offered some delicious treat made him more than happy to give a daily report. His mouth was already watering.