Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
TUCKER
This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Young Gun is breaking in half in front of the entire town, and I can see the mortification all over Julie’s face every couple of seconds. She’s horrified.
Young Gun snorts beneath me, losing some momentum, as I finally get his head tucked around to his side. He’s huffing and puffing, his hot breath misting the air in front of him. The crowd cheers as he comes to a stop, his shoes no longer clanking against the pavement. I stroke his neck a couple of times, and then blow out a breath, chuckling.
“Done now?”
He snorts again.
I grin, more than happy to have held up the whole parade.
“Way to stick ‘em!” Carson shouts, the crowd now filling the space they had cleared when this whole ordeal had started. The whole thing maybe lasted a few minutes, but it was a thrill, and as I give Young Gun his head, I can’t stop smiling.
“That was insane,” Julie sighs, brushing her hair out of her face. “You could’ve run over someone.”
I glance over to her. “Maybe that’s where that song about Grandma getting ran over by a reindeer really comes from. Maybe it was a horse. Dressed like a reindeer.”
Julie’s wary expression dissipates, and she laughs. “Oh my gosh. I can’t with you, Tucker Madison.”
“Oh yeah, you can.” I wink at her, feeling like I’m on a high at the moment. “And deep down, I think you want to.”
Her thick lashes bat beneath her adorable elf hat, her cheeks reddened from the cold and my words. “Are you flirting with me right now?”
I chuckle. “Most definitely. Is that okay?”
Julie runs her tongue along her bottom lip and then giggles. “Most definitely.”
The rest of the parade goes on without any incident, and lucky for me, Young Gun doesn’t try to do anything stupid. We load the horses up, and head back to the ranch with everyone. Christmas carols play once again through the speakers, and I notice even Cal Cooper himself sings along with them.
My chest feels warm as I sit beside Julie, clutching her hand. She might think it’s just for show, but I already know I’m screwed. I like Julie Cooper. Maybe even love her. I should be terrified. I should be running for the hills. But I’m not. Instead, all I can think about is how I can convince her to fall in love with me.
I need to get her a Christmas present.
My mind runs wild with ideas as we exit the truck, and we all get to work unloading and putting up the horses—well, and mule. Julie rides a mule. Honestly, it makes sense. I shouldn’t have expected anything less. The woman is full of surprises.
“Can I have a word with you?” Mr. Cooper cuts into my thoughts as I undo Young Gun’s halter and let him go in his stall.
“Of course,” I say, sliding the stall door shut and locking it. I don’t miss Julie’s curious gaze.
He nods for me to follow him into the office, and as soon as I clear the threshold, the door swings shut. I swallow hard, trying not to let my nerves show as the toe of my boot taps against the concrete.
“That was quite a scene at the parade,” Mr. Cooper begins, running his hand over his gray handlebar mustache. “I have to admit, I was impressed.”
“All the bronc riding in high school,” I clear my throat, and then shrug. “But thank you.”
He nods, smiling. “Ah yeah, I remember watching you. You went to college on a scholarship.”
“I did, yes,” I say carefully, eyeing the brown folder on the desk in front of him. The office is decorated with pictures of cattle and horses, along with portraits of the Coopers. Some of them are older, Julie only a little kid, and others are recent.
“Julie seems to really care about you.” He removes his hat and runs his fingers through his thinning gray hair. “There’s no way she would be pushing for me to lease you land. She knows how weary I am about business deals involving the ranch.”
My heart sinks. If he knew the truth, he’d probably be wishing Young Gun threw me off and sent me to the hospital.
“Anyway,” he continues, “Your plan is solid, but I think you need more land than what you have spelled out. I think you could go much bigger, and it would allow for a larger profit margin.”
I grit my teeth, trying to read his stone expression. “Well… I try to be reasonable. I don’t have a large cash flow to expand at a higher level.”
“But you could if you had the right investor, yes?”
“Yes,” I say, choking out the hope building in my chest. “I could, but there’s not many people who want to invest in a cattle operation. The risk of loss is high.”
“Well, Carson and I both agree that we’d like to move forward with this.” He taps the folder. “And if it all goes well, then we’d like to help you expand your operation. In truth, you have the potential of becoming family, and while normally, I see a boyfriend as a risk, I think you and Julie are a good match. That being said, my deal is not dependent on your relationship with my daughter.”
I nod, letting out an excited breath of air. “Thank you so much. I can’t even express how grateful I am for the opportunity.” My words come out rushed, as Cal Cooper extends his hand for me to shake. I take it, about to burst from the seams. “Really, thank you. ”
You just saved my business.
He chuckles. “You’re welcome. Now, let’s just enjoy the holidays. No sense in worrying about business when we’re just a few days from Christmas.”
“I just need to call my partner.” I nod eagerly, as Cal swings the office door open. Cal steps out and heads for the house, the barn now devoid of people. I pull my phone from my pocket, and dial Cash’s number.
“How’d the parade go?” he answers, sounding like he’s eating something on the other side of the phone.
“Fine,” I tell him, not even bothering to offer up the details. “But we got the deal with Cal Cooper.”
“What?” Cash’s voice sounds distant. “You mean it? Are you kidding me? Because this isn’t April Fools.”
“I’m being dead serious,” I burst into relieved laughter. “He’s offering expansion, too. More land than what we needed. This could change everything for us.” I gaze out across the ranch, my heart fluttering at visions of the future. I could have it all.
If I could just keep Julie for real.
My imaginings cloud my mind for a few moments, long enough that when I come back, I realize that Cash has been silent. “Cash? You there?”
“Yeah,” he answers, his voice flat. He doesn’t sound excited. Why is he not excited?
“What’s wrong?” I demand. “We don’t have to expand?—”
“All this is hinging on a relationship that’s not even real, Tucker,” he cuts me off. “I don’t like the way that feels.”
“He said it’s not dependent on the relationship, and…” My voice trails off as I hear footsteps coming in behind me. I stop, glancing over my shoulder to see Julie stepping into the barn, now in a pair of jeans and sweatshirt. Her blonde hair is still sprinkled with red and green glitter.
“And what?” Cash echoes in my ear.
I turn away from Julie and lower my voice. “And I think… I think I…”
“You like her.”
“Yeah,” I admit, feeling like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. “I do. A lot.”
“Then get off this phone, and go get the girl,” Cash chuckles. “Looks like we might be moving to Texas.” He hangs up then, and I pull the phone from my ear and shove it into my pocket. I turn to Julie, who’s quietly observing me.
“What did my dad have to talk to you about? He wouldn’t tell me.” Her voice is quiet, and I can see the worry in her face that I mistook as curiosity. “He said you could tell me yourself.” She wrings her hands in front of her, her pretty eyes studying me.
“You did it,” I tell her, closing the distance between us. “He gave me the deal.”
Her eyes widen. “What? Really? Just like that?”
I nod excitedly. “Yeah, just like that.”
“Oh my gosh,” she breathes out. “We did it.”
Before I even realize what I’m doing, my fingers are lacing through her hair, pulling her mouth to mine. My nose brushes hers, as I press my lips against hers. She stills against me, and panic sears through my chest…
She doesn’t want me like this.