Don’t Hurt the Cowboy (A Small Town Steamy Western Romance #6)

Chapter 1

Levi

"Did I just hear you right?" I almost squeak at my brother Nash.

"Did y'all just tell me that you're getting married?

" His girlfriend, Braylynn, literally just got out of the hospital, but that’s a long story.

I never pictured my brother the marrying type, nor myself, for that matter.

We've seen how disastrous a marriage can be firsthand, and I personally have zero interest.

“You heard right.” Nash states, head bobbing up and down, as he sits on the front porch with me, at our childhood home. “But keep it under your hat for now. Until we figure out what's going on with mama and daddy, Braylynn and I would like to keep everything simple.”

“How long do you suppose that daddy is going to be in jail for.” I say as more of a comment than a question. If I had it my way, he would be in there for good, but unfortunately, Braylynn was much too nice of a person and showed him way too much mercy.

“I don't know yet. It depends on what the lawyer says. He hasn't even seen one yet. And I'm not forking out the dough for him to see one either.”

“Same here. Have you been to see him?”

“Not if it means leaving Braylynn. I just figured that we ought to talk about what we're going to do with this house.”

“What do you mean. Are we going to set daddy down on his ass? I mean, I get it that he deserves it, but do we really want to be the ones responsible for turning our father into a vagrant. The first thing he’ll do is run for the bottle again."

“Do you want to keep paying his bills?"

“We don’t have to. If daddy’s not drinking away his money anymore, then he can pay his own damn bills. They’re coming in his name anyway. We’re just the fools that pay them for him." I pause for a beat. “Besides, I’m gonna need somewhere to hang my hat for a little bit myself."

He lifts his head and raises both of his eyebrows. “Things not working out with your girl?"

“I never said I was living with her, Nash. All I said was that I wasn’t living at home. Sure, I’m staying with her, for now. But that’s only temporary.”

“So, what’s your plan then. The offer still stands for you to stay with me and Bray.”

“Billy’s offered for me to hang my hat for a while at the ranch. I think I’d rather do that, as it’s way less complicated."

He shrugs. “It’s your call, Levi. but if you can’t see yourself staying in this house, then maybe you ought to think about getting a place of your own."

I crane my neck backward slightly. “Well, aren’t you the hypocrite today. Where do you get off telling me where I can and can’t stay? Just because you’re living with your fiancé, doesn’t give you the right. When the hell have you ever had a place of your own." I point out.

His eyes widen. I know I’m coming off strong, and maybe a little bit rude too, but I’m sick and tired of people trying to tell me what to do with my life.

I’m sick and tired of people looking at me differently, because of my family.

Especially now that my daddy is spending some time behind bars.

It’s not Nash‘s fault, but that doesn’t give him the right to tell me how to run my life.

“Levi, I don’t mean to offend you, brother.

You have every right to stay in that house if you want to, and I know that Billy would be more than happy to have you stay with him at the ranch, too.

They may not be our blood family, but they mean more to us than our actual family does, that’s for sure.

You do what makes you happy, that’s all that matters to me. "

My gaze goes to my hands. Shame on me for speaking to my brother like that. He means well, and I should know that. “That’s right." I tell him, feeling like I’m possessed, like I don’t have any control over my words. “I will do what makes me happy."

His eyes search mine, like he’s trying to figure me out.

Like I’m not the brother that he’s seen every single day since the moment I was born.

Well, he’s not going to find what he’s looking for.

Because what he’s looking for isn’t who I am anymore.

Nash thinks that I’m not capable of doing the things that a normal man would do, but he’s wrong.

He thinks that I follow him around like a lost puppy, that I can’t think for myself, that I put blinders on when it comes to my daddy and what’s going on with my mama, but I know it all.

I told him so a couple of days ago, but I don’t think that he heard me, or if he did, he doesn’t believe me. People think that I’m stupid and simple minded, that I don’t know what love is. But I do, and they’re all wrong.

It seems like I’ve rendered my brother speechless, because he simply slaps his thighs, draws in a deep breath, and stands up.

“Well, I guess that’s it, then. We let daddy fend for himself for once in his life.

” He changes the subject. "So, when do I get to meet this woman that's stolen my brother's heart? "

"Whenever you want." It comes out like a scoff before I can stop it.

"Well, she's in Dallas. Is that going to be a problem?"

"Why the hell would it be? I've been dating her, haven't I?" My voice is more condescending than I mean it to be.

"Alright then." He says, eyes widening, but he recovers quickly. "How about dinner tomorrow night?"

"Are you sure that Braylynn will be up for that?"

"We can do it at her house if it's all the same to you, man. Six o'clock work for you?"

"I'll see you then." My words come out cold.

And as I drive back to Dallas, I keep rewinding the conversation in my mind, wondering what the hell came over me.

I suppose with everything that's happened, my mind isn't what it used to be.

All the stress, all the drama, it's been eating away at me.

That's why going to Dallas seems to have helped.

Nobody knows me there, and therefore I don't have to look at the judgmental glances when I'm there. Nobody knows me except Shelly when I’m in Dallas.

Why, I don’t know, but these days, I like being invisible.

And with Shelley, I can be as invisible as I want to be.

She doesn’t ask questions, and I like that.

We have a mutual respect and boundaries, even though we’ve only been together for a short time.

I never knew I'd end up liking an older woman, but there’s something to be said for it.

At the moment, we don’t talk about the future. And that’s fine by me.

Shelly invited me to stay with her, but it wasn’t so much an invitation as it was a convenience.

It just so happens that I’ve ended up staying at her place for the last couple of weeks, sort of by accident.

I’ve been home enough to go pick up a few things here and there, even though I don’t own much.

She gave me the code to her front door, so I can come and go as I please.

Dallas isn't a small town, which seems questionable, considering how fast she began trusting me. You see, that’s the difference between living in a small town and not.

You live in a small town, eyes are always on you, and if you go into someone’s house that isn’t your own, everyone will know.

Even though we met at the school I’m attending in Dallas, I still don’t quite know what program she’s taking.

Like I said, I haven’t known her that long, and we don’t even have any classes together.

We sort of met serendipitously, sitting in the computer lab together.

I know that my mama would hate her, because she’s older.

Which is why I haven’t mentioned introducing her to my family yet.

Her car isn’t in the driveway when I arrive, so I let myself in.

With a simple text message, I let her know where I am.

Her place is small, relatively speaking.

I think it’s the smallest house on her street, but it’s nicely done, and modern.

Although there isn’t any food in the house, I’m not hungry, and suddenly I feel lost. Normally, I’m at Billy's ranch, hanging with the boys, or I’m at home.

What brought me here, I have no idea. I send Shelly another text message, asking her how long she’ll be gone for, trying not to come off as needy.

I simply don’t want to stay here by myself for long.

A minute later she responds, telling me that she’ll be very late.

I make up my mind to head back to the ranch and meet up with her later.

As I drive back to the ranch, I immediately start mentally beating myself up for wasting my own time.

I’m not much of a planner, and my hat usually rests somewhere that isn’t Shelly's, even though I’m trying to get used to it somewhat.

The debate starts the moment I pull up the driveway at Billy's ranch, as to whether or not word has spread about my brother's engagement, that is. Lord strike me dead for being the big mouth to spread the news instead of letting my brother have his moment. But when I see Nash's truck parked up further in the driveway, I’d be willing to bet that he’s already shared the news.

He does a double take when he sees me pulling up. It’s almost embarrassing, seeing as I was only with him less than an hour ago. “I figured you’d be off having a romantic evening with your girl.” Nash comments when he approaches.

“I could say the same thing to you, seeing as you’re the one that just got engaged." I volley back, not hiding the snark in my voice.

“Fair enough. Although, my fiancé, as you know, just healed from a head injury, so our celebration plans are on hold for now. What’s your excuse?” He asks playfully, chucking me on the shoulder.

The only response I have is a shrug.

“Hey, Levi.” Billy says by rote, coming around the corner, adjusting his tool belt. “Piper’s got some wicked stew in the house if you want some."

If Piper’s the cook, there’s no need to twist my arm. Besides, the last thing I want to do is start talking about weddings and school and shit. “You don’t have to ask me twice." I say matter-of-factly.