The Cowboy's City Girl (eBook)

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Chapter 1
Wyatt slammed the tailgate of his truck shut. The pig he’d been forced to return to its home squealed and skittered backward.
If the new owner who lived next door couldn’t bother to take care of her own animals, then she shouldn’t have been raising them to begin with, he thought. Out of all of the Stone men, Wyatt had to be the only one who saw her for what she truly was: an imposter.
He couldn’t believe Luke had singled him out. Any of his brothers could have put the pig and the neighbor in his truck and given this stranger a ride home. But no. His older brother couldn’t see that this new stranger who had bought the foreclosed property was nothing more than trouble with a capital T.
Sure, Wyatt had been a little slower to come to terms with living at Cornerstone Ranch, but now that he understood what it meant, he would never give it up. The people who lived in Colt, Texas, weren’t just cowboys and ranchers. They were the backbone of this community.
Everyone he’d gotten to know around here had been living in the area for generations, his grandfather included.
The woman who had climbed into his truck was no better than a stranger.
What kind of person couldn’t keep her livestock contained? The pig had to have traveled a of couple miles before finding its way into Wyatt’s backyard. The woman didn’t belong here.
Wyatt marched around the side of the truck and peered into the cab. She fiddled with her loose braid, brown strands coming loose with the movement. This woman didn’t fit here. Whatever reason she’d had to move out to the middle of nowhere wasn’t great. One look at her confirmed that she had no idea what she was doing.
He pulled the door open, startling her.
She flashed him a smile, her brown eyes practically glowing. “Thank you so much for your help.”
Wyatt grunted, shoving his key into the ignition. He wasn’t doing this out of the goodness of his heart. If he hadn’t helped, he wouldn’t have heard the end of it. Luke wouldn’t have stopped until he left. They all knew that Dalton wouldn’t fall into line. It was still incredibly difficult to get him to accept that Luke was in charge. Luke would never make Colt help because he was spending time with Harper. And Caleb had been missing. He’d probably gone inside, searching for more food. And that left Wyatt as the only one available to drive this stranger and her pig back to her ranch.
“I’m so sorry that I interrupted your party.”
“It wasn’t a party,” he muttered.
“Well, I’m still sorry.” She turned toward him, her smile still plastered to her face. “I simply can’t understand what has gotten into my pig. I swear, I’ve penned him up more times than I can count, and he still gets out. Sometimes I wonder if he’s sprouted wings.” She laughed, and it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
In fact, Wyatt had to give her a second look. The laughter that spilled from her lips was warm and sweet—the epitome of fresh honey on a summer afternoon. She caught him staring, and he scowled as he turned his focus to the road.
“Pigs don’t fly.”
She laughed again. “Oh, I know. But if they could, Henry back there would be the first to get his wings. He’s such an escape artist.”
Wyatt bit his tongue, tempted to tell her exactly what he thought of her pig and her ability to keep it penned up.
“It’s not just Henry, though. When I moved out here, I expected that it would be like in the movies. The chickens would cluck and follow me around as I tossed their feed. The cows would graze with the goats in the fields. I could even get ducks for the little pond out back. But I bet they wouldn’t behave like I think they would. Instead of running a farm, I feel like I’m running a circus.” She sighed, turning her eyes toward the window. “But you know what’s the best part?”
He grunted, the pain in his cheek from biting down on it almost unbearable.
“It’s the views.” She made another one of those soft sounds that gave him goose bumps. “This place is so beautiful. It’s no wonder that people love to live here. I can’t think of a better place to settle down.”
She talked too much. That much was clear. But even with all her chatter, she wasn’t giving him anything substantial. He didn’t know why she’d moved here, why she’d taken on the property—especially since she didn’t appear to have any clue about how to operate it.
“This place is nothing like the city where I grew up.”
He gave her a side-eyed stare. “Where are you from?”
Her soft smile was more tolerable than the large one she’d flashed him. It made her look almost normal. “Houston, and boy, let me tell you…” Her voice trailed off, and she let out another laugh. “It’s nothing like here.”
“Do you still have family there?”
She nodded. “Yep. My whole family lives in Houston.” A sigh escaped her lips once more. “They all think I’m a little bit crazy for coming out here.”
He didn’t comment. It wasn’t his place. At least that was what he kept reminding himself. Eventually, she would come to the same conclusion as her family, and she’d leave. She wasn’t cut out to be a rancher or a farmer or whatever it was she’d planned on doing out here.
“You’re rather quiet.”
Still, he didn’t speak. It was too dangerous, and he’d rather not get on his brother’s bad side, which he would if word came back to him that Wyatt had been unneighborly.
When the silence continued to grow, the stranger beside him cleared her throat. “I noticed that you have some animals. Horses? Cattle? I walked by some fields where you’re growing corn or feed? Is that right?”
He glanced at her, but that was it.
“Okay…” she drawled. Her fingers tapped on her knees. “I didn’t see any pigs, though. You’re lucky. I think Henry has got to be the hardest critter I have to take care of, but I bet it’ll all be worth it.”
“I doubt that,” Wyatt muttered.
She snickered. “Why do you say that?”
He gave her another long glance, feeling his resolve weakening.
“Go on. I can take it. I’m stronger than I look.” She grinned, fully unaware of just how harsh he was going to be.
“All I’ve heard from you for this entire ride is how hard it is for you to look after the animals in your care. You can’t seem to stop complaining about it.”
“I wasn’t complain—”
“Have you ever once considered that maybe you’re not cut out to be here? I know you’ve only just moved in—it couldn’t have been more than a week ago that the property closed—but seriously, what in the world were you thinking?”
She snapped her mouth shut, her cheeks flushing pink beneath the smattering of freckles that adorned them.
“I know you probably don’t want to hear it, but if your animals are so out of control, then perhaps it’s not the animals that are the problem. Perhaps the owner is at fault. If you don’t know what you’re doing, then you have no business purchasing a ranch in the first place.”
Her lashes fluttered rapidly, and the color in her cheeks deepened. Her incessant chatter faded away, and she turned to the passenger window and folded her arms.
It was a hard truth but truth nevertheless. Just because she looked the part in her overalls and muddied boots didn’t mean she was a real cowgirl.
Wyatt’s jaw tightened as he fought the guilt that started to creep into his chest. He refused to accept that he’d done anything wrong. The worst thing a person could do was lie and coddle glorified tourists who fancied themselves ranchers.
Even so, he glanced over at her, the eerie quiet unsettling him more than he wanted to admit. An apology was on the tip of his tongue when he pulled onto her property. She gripped the door handle and launched herself out of the truck before he had another chance to breathe a word to her.
Wyatt didn’t even have his door opened fully when he heard the tailgate open. He caught a glimpse of her grabbing the pig from the back, struggling to keep hold of the squirming animal. She nearly dropped him, but it had nothing to do with his movements and everything to do with the fact that he weighed at least seventy pounds.
Her eyes met his through the rear-view mirror, and she called out, “Thanks for the ride,” before carrying the pig toward the barn.
Wyatt watched her leave, contemplating the mixed emotions that swirled within him. Why did he suddenly feel bad for what he’d said? It was the truth, and Wyatt valued that above all else.
A young woman such as the one who disappeared into the barn really shouldn’t be running this place on her own. He found himself wondering what she must have been thinking when she’d purchased this place and brought all of its residents here.
Wyatt shook off the feeling and climbed out of the truck to close the tailgate. He got back in and pulled the door shut a little harder than he probably needed to. Then he drove home. The whole way there, he continued to argue with himself about why he had been right to tell her how the real world was. No one was going to coddle her. No one would be there for her when the pieces of her shattered dream had to be picked up.
She was on her own, and it was about time she knew it.
When he pulled in front of his grandfather’s home and shut off the engine, it took only a couple moments for Harper to materialize at his door. His twin’s wife was probably the only person who seemed to fit into this life despite not having a background in ranching.
Granted, she’d spent most of her summers here. She might not have known much about the lands around here, but she could appreciate what this place had to offer. She saw it in ways that only an artist could.
Harper pulled the door open and grinned at him.
“What?” he muttered, pushing past her.
She followed him toward the side of the house. “Well?”
“Well, what?”
“What did you think about her?”
He stopped and stared at her. “Does it matter? She’s a stranger. She doesn’t have family here. She has zero clue what she’s doing. I give her four months before she calls it quits and leaves for good.”
Harper laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I mean what did you think of her? You got to go for a ride with her.”
Wyatt pulled his hat from his head so he could rake a hand through his hair. “I get that you’re interested in playing matchmaker, but it’s not going to happen—especially not with her. I’m good. I really don’t need you worrying about my love life.”
She linked her arm through his just as Colt appeared. They made goo-goo eyes at each other, a knowing look passing between them.
Wyatt stopped and stared at his twin then over to Harper. “I know that look, and I don’t like it.”
His twin laughed. “You don’t know anything.”
“I know that you two are planning something, and I’ll have no part of it.”
Colt shook his head, clapping a hand down on his shoulder. “You will because it’s already been put into motion.”
A rock in the pit of his stomach seemed to gain more weight, causing Wyatt to feel sick. “What’s going on?”
“Harper set you up on a date with someone for tomorrow.” Colt looked pleased with himself.
Harper appeared to be more excited than anything else.
Wyatt groaned. “I told you, I’m not interest—”
“It’s too late,” Harper insisted. “The reservation is made. I’m paying for the meal. Just go and enjoy yourself. Please?” Harper pouted. “Let me help you find someone since you were so helpful with Colt and me.”
Wyatt wanted to push them both out of the way and insist that he didn’t like to be toyed with. But at this point, a date might be a worthy distraction so he could get his mind off of why he felt the tickle of guilt when he thought of that woman who had moved in next door. “Fine.”
Harper squealed with delight. Colt chuckled. And Wyatt wondered if he was making the biggest mistake of his life.

(Prequel) The Cowboy's Tattered Heart
1. The Cowboy's Second Chance
2. The Cowboy's Forbidden Love
3. The Cowboy's City Girl
4. The Cowboy's Love Bet
5. The Cowboy's Redemption