Excerpt from The Wrong Cowboy
G abriel Buchanan had no idea how he was going to survive in Small Town, USA, for the next three months—or however long it took him to get his head out of his ass.
Granted, he had grown up on a ranch outside of a small town just like Granite Junction, Montana. But Buck’s Falls had a lot more going for it, was a helluva lot more touristy and fun. He hadn’t been to Granite Junction since his uncle died twelve years ago. In typical college-aged kid fashion, he’d focused on the bars and on getting out as soon as possible, especially when his cousin hadn’t been too welcoming. Just as proud and stubborn as his father , his mother had stated when they drove out of town a few days after the funeral. In hindsight, he knew Cam, barely out of his teens himself, had been both grieving and overwhelmed with the responsibilities of a younger sister and a failing ranch.
He hadn’t seen Cam again until a few months ago, when Cam settled his sister, Amy Jo, at culinary school in Billings and asked Gabe and his family to be available in case she needed someone nearby. Gabe and Amy Jo had connected every couple of weeks—usually so he could be a test subject for some of her recipes.
But now it was Gabe looking for refuge and hoping Cam would open his doors.
At the end of the main street, he found his destination, Earl Lee Byrd’s diner, housed in a former train station. He didn’t exactly want to park his brand-new Charger in that weedy gravel lot, next to any of a half dozen well-used pickup trucks whose owners might not care if they dinged his shiny black doors. Although, after five hours of travel, the Charger wasn’t too pretty itself, dusty and covered in the remains of hundreds of bugs. And there wasn’t a touchless car wash in sight.
He parked in the lot anyway and pulled out his phone to send a quick text message, then headed inside. He hoped the food was as good as Amy Jo had said it would be, because the outside didn’t recommend it. When he opened the door, it was like he had stepped back in time, to his grandfather’s era. His mind started swirling with images of his fictional character Buck Lancaster replacing one of those craggy old men sitting in a booth made of cracked red vinyl and dull metal, sipping what promised to be coffee the consistency of motor oil. Real coffee, as his grandfather had often said.
He slid into an empty booth and tried not to wince as his ass hit the hard wood, the ancient cushions providing no buffer at all. Ideas sparked in his brain and he pulled out his steno notepad that he took everywhere for situations like this and jotted down a couple of ideas for the setting. He even had a few scene ideas that he wanted to capture before they flitted away, lost in the dark recesses of his mind. He was so absorbed in his scribblings that it took a minute for the presence of another person to register. He looked up to see a dark-haired woman with her long, thick hair pulled back into a ponytail. She cleared her throat and gave him a broad smile.
“Haven’t seen you around here before. What can I get you?”
His smile broadened as he studied the curvy woman. She had beautiful dark eyes that snapped and popped with life, and the way she cocked her hip and narrowed that gaze at him only reinforced that impression. He was always attracted to feisty women. His time here in Granite Junction was looking up.
A hand slapped the back of his head. “What the hell, asshole?” he sputtered, then turned to meet Cam Miller’s overly serious glare.
“Welcome to town, Gabe.” Cam slid into the other side of the booth. “We’ll both have a coffee and the menus, Emma, thanks. And ignore my ill-mannered cousin here if he’s been bothering you. He doesn’t get out much.”
Emma beamed at Cam and shot a suspicious glare at Gabe, dumped a couple of worn laminated menus on the table, and left. Gabe leaned forward a bit to watch her sashay away. Damn, that was a fine ass. Then he winced at a sudden pain in his shins. He glared at his cousin. “What?”
“Emma is a nice girl. Not for you,” Cam warned him.
Gabe frowned, then settled back in the seat, stretching his arm out on the back of the booth. “Sorry. I didn’t know she was your girl.”
Cam frowned. “She’s not. She’s like a sister to me.”
Gabe’s eyebrows raised and he snorted. “My sister doesn’t look at me like that. Neither does your sister, for that matter, thank God.” He cocked his head and studied Emma as she picked up a tray and started back to them. “If she’s like your sister, and you don’t have a claim staked, doesn’t that mean she’s fair game to me? Or is there another reason why she’s off-limits? A fiancé? Husband?”
Cam slowly lowered his hand to the table and fixed a hard stare on Gabe, who grinned unrepentantly at him. “Leave Emma alone, Gabe.”
Gabe shrugged, deciding to give up on teasing his cousin for now, especially since his stomach was cannibalizing itself. He hadn’t stopped to eat on the long drive. “Fine. What’s good here?”
“Burgers. Waffles. Anything except the special. Earl’s exploring some new recipes from the Food Network again. I don’t recommend being test subjects,” Emma chirped as she set coffee in front of both of them. She turned her attention to Cam, along with a sunny smile, leaving no doubt as to where her affection lay. “I didn’t know you had cousins in the area.”
Gabe arched his brow at Cam. His cousin might think she was like a sister, but Gabe would wager the sexy waitress had a different opinion on the subject. “He likes to keep us away because we’re the better-looking, friendlier cousins. Ask his sister. I’m Gabe Buchanan.” He held out his hand, gauging Cam’s reaction, to see if there was any jealousy. Judging by the way his expression didn’t change, he was telling the truth about his feelings for this woman. Interesting.
Emma’s eyes widened and a look of pure delight crossed her face, though not for Gabe, unfortunately. She took his hand and a spark of something arced between them, giving him pause. “How is Amy Jo doing? Has she settled into school okay? I know she was really worried. She was emailing me a lot for a while, but I think she’s gotten busy.”
“Well, I had dinner with her last night. Join us and I’ll catch you up.” He winked, risking another kick in the shins but it was worth it.
She gave him a cool look. “I’m working.”
Cam laughed and Gabe just smiled. “I’ll have the waffles, per your suggestion. It’s a little too early for a burger.” He looked down into the thick, dark depths of his coffee cup. “I don’t suppose you have cappuccinos?” An incredulous look from both Cam and Emma made him sigh. “Fine, just keep the cup filled. I was up early this morning.”
“I’ve already eaten,” Cam replied. Emma trotted off.
Silence dragged while Gabe fixed his coffee, adding cream and some sugar, then took a sip. It wasn’t as bad as he’d expected. Palatable at least.
“Book business is doing well, isn’t it?” Cam finally said. “Enough to buy a Dodge Charger, I see.”
Gabe shrugged, avoiding the question. “I always wanted one. I don’t work the ranch except to help out once in a while when they need me, so it doesn’t really matter what car I drive.”
“Damn inconvenient in the Montana winters, without four-wheel drive.”
“Better than you’d expect and, besides, I live in the city. Not much driving in heavy snow required.” At Cam’s arched look, he shrugged. “Don’t tell me you’re not jealous.”
A ghost of a smile crossed the other man’s face. “I’m going to need time behind the wheel if you’re planning on staying for a while. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”
Gabe sighed and looked out the window onto the parking lot, trying to decide how much to tell Cam. It sucked having to admit he was struggling, especially when most people didn’t even respect what he did. He could hear his father’s voice in his head. How hard could it be, boy? Just throwing some words on a page. That’s not a real job, not like working the ranch.
He shook his head to clear out the negativity. He had enough of his own without adding his father’s voice to the chorus. “I need a place to hole up and work on my next book. It’s a new series and I’m struggling a bit getting a feel for the world and characters.”
“Why don’t you go to your family’s ranch? You could have a guest cottage to yourself, gourmet meals cooked and hand delivered, and cleaning service. You won’t get that here.”
Gabe snorted. His family ran a working ranch, a lot like Cam’s, but theirs included fancy accommodations for tourists. It was one of the top guest ranches in the state—hell, several states—and they were booked out for a couple of years or more, with people coming and going all the time. But if he went there, his family would be poking their well-meaning noses into his business every few hours. Not to mention pressuring him to take up what they saw as his familial duty, his destiny according to his father, and take over the guest ranch, relegating his writing to the sidelines.
He was the black sheep of the Buchanan family. It had been a bitch trying to find his own path when his siblings had excelled so beautifully in their own ways and toed the family line as expected. His older brother, Michael, was slowly taking over the day-to-day operations of the ranch from his father, and their beef cattle were in high demand. His younger brother, Rafe, had started a veterinary practice, replacing the local vet just two years ago and was already considered a gifted animal whisperer in the area. His sister Ariel was working with special needs children and developing programs on the ranch for them and for veterans with PTSD.
And what was Gabe doing? The often invisible, misunderstood, second child who never seemed to fit in with his family? He wasn’t learning the guest ranch business with the goal of taking it over from his mother, so she could step back. No, he was living his own life in Billings, authoring books about a fictional Montana sheriff, and writing freelance articles for various magazines and websites, with only occasional forays back to the family ranch to help out.
He didn’t mind helping out, that wasn’t the problem. But he was often on the outside, disconnected from his siblings, and struggling to make his parents understand his life choices. It had been his grandfather, now dead, who’d given him his love of storytelling and encouraged his choice of careers even if no one else approved. He’d moved to Billings and created a new life for himself.
He was finally seeing financial success, having published four mysteries about Buck Lancaster, a gritty Montana sheriff. When that series exploded into a sleeper hit, he was contracted for three more books, then sold an option to a streaming service. His agent had suggested they capitalize on the momentum and propose a new series, something a bit edgier. Since that was something he had already wanted to write, he drew up the proposal and it went to auction, netting him a high six-figure advance—and a metric ton of writer’s block.
Thinking he might need a break, he’d decided to call his recently reconnected cousin, Cam, and head for his ranch. He hoped some breathing space, the change of scenery, and some good old-fashioned physical work without the pressures of his immediate family would jog loose his creativity.
The door behind him opened, the bells jingling, and a couple came in, greeting Cam. The noise jarred Gabe out of his rambling thoughts. He blinked to see Cam watching him, a patient and serious expression on his face.
Cam sipped his coffee, then asked, “Do you have muscles under that fancy shirt, or have you gone soft since you got citified?”
Gabe scoffed. “I still help out with calving, branding, and the roundup, along with other things around the ranch. I think I can keep up.”
“Good. Because I need help getting the ranch ready to sell.”
Gabe was still letting the shock of Cam’s words settle in his mind when Emma placed his breakfast in front of him, with a warm smile at Cam and barely a cool glance at him. Ouch. He tucked into the meal, his stomach giving him little choice, and he wasn’t disappointed. The waffles were as light and fluffy as promised. Too bad he couldn’t concentrate on them after the surprise news that his cousin was upending his life completely, selling his livelihood and legacy that had been in his family for generations. Of course, Gabe had walked away from his own legacy so maybe he could understand the decision better than anyone.
After a few more bites, Gabe said, “So, you’re selling? Why? You’ve dragged the ranch back from the edge of debt. You’ve built a good reputation. You make a good living, I assume. Why walk away from a sure thing?”
Cam settled back in the booth, the wooden seat creaking under his weight, and allowed a ghost of a smile to cross his face. “Why don’t you ranch? You have a pretty sweet deal with your family’s place. You could flirt with the tourists, do a little work with the cows here and there, and live a cushy life escorting the tourists around the dude ranch. Why did you leave?”
Gabe nodded. “Point made. What are your plans?”
“Do you know Mick Castleton?” The name was vaguely familiar but Gabe couldn’t quite place it. Cam continued, “He was a friend of my dad’s. He lived with us for a while out at the ranch after my mom died. While he was here, he taught me how to work leather to help me with grief over my mom.”
The name finally rang a bell. “Wait, Castleton Leathers? The man is a legend, especially in the rodeo circuit. My brother would sell his soul for a saddle from him but the wait list is a killer.”
Cam gave a satisfied half-smile. “He should ask me. I do most of the custom saddle work now for Mick.”
Gabe chuckled. “Keeping secrets, are you? I can’t wait to tell Mike that. Please let me tell him that. Or, better yet, make me a saddle that I can flaunt in front of him next time I’m home.”
“A saddle would be wasted on you, city boy. Anyway, Mick wants to retire, and he offered me his business.”
Gabe sat back and sipped his coffee, wishing it was a cappuccino and not a plain coffee. “Where is this business? I’m guessing it’s not here.”
Cam shook his head. “Wyoming.”
Gabe whistled. “That’s a long damn way. Does Amy Jo know? Hell, does Emma know, because from what I can tell she’s halfway in love with you, maybe all the way.”
Cam unfolded his body from the booth and took out his wallet. “Yeah, I know.”
Gabe grabbed his hand. “I got this. It’ll give me a chance to flirt a little with your girl, maybe convince her that I’m the better choice.”
Cam snorted and glanced over at a couple in another booth, the ones who’d greeted him earlier. “Good luck. I have some people to talk to. Can you find your way to the ranch? I know it’s been a while since you’ve been here.”
“I have GPS.”
Cam laughed. “You’re such a city boy. That rarely works around here. Wait for me out front and you can follow me back.”
Gabe clapped him on the back. “I’m not that directionally challenged, but I’ll take some more time with the lovely Emma.”
Instead of rebuking him as Gabe expected, Cam simply warned, “Be nice.” Then he walked to the other table, pulled a chair over, and straddled it.
Gabe went to the register, noting Emma’s suddenly tense expression as she twisted around Gabe so she could see Cam. Gabe planted himself in front of her, leaning his hip against the counter. “I’m beginning to think you don’t like me, darlin’. You keep ignoring me in favor of my cousin. I mean, you know him, have known him for years, so you have to know that he’s a surly bastard on the best of days. But I’m perfectly friendly.”
She straightened and looked him straight in the eye, maybe for the first time since he walked inside the diner. “You really think quite highly of yourself, don’t you?”
He gave a slight cock of the head and let a big smile grow. No one could resist his brand of charm. His family had been telling him that for years, and it was the primary reason they had pegged him for running the damn guest ranch in the first place. “Well, I’m pretty awesome. Once you get to know me, you’ll see it too.”
She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Wow. You’re unbelievable.”
His grin broadened. “It usually takes people a bit longer to figure that out, but I’ll take it. Amy Jo was right. You are pretty smart.”
“Do women really fall for that load of bull?”
His smile faltered but stayed in place. He was surprised that she hadn’t at least softened a little bit toward him. “Usually.”
She whipped the money out of his hand and rang him up, handing him the change. “You need smarter women.”
She turned and headed toward the coffee station—and what looked like a cappuccino maker. A laugh burst out of him. “You little devil. You had more than that sludge you pass off as coffee and you never offered me any?”
She tossed her hair over her shoulder and a sweet smile. “It’s broken.”
The machine spluttered as she made a cappuccino, then headed for the table where Cam was seated.
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