Trainer's Treat (Culpepper Cowboys Book 7) Read online

  “Have you always worked with horses?”

  He nodded. “Since I was a little boy, I’ve been horse crazy. I thought about going into rodeo, but I met Brandi, and that thought went right out the window. We were married two months later.”

  “She wasn’t from around here?”

  He shook his head. “No, she was a spoiled little rich girl from back east, who had gotten herself into trouble. So after she finished her senior year of high school, her daddy, who knew my father from his college days, sent her out here to apprentice with me. She’d always been a horse-lover. It didn’t take long for me to know I wanted to keep her forever.”

  “So you did.”

  He nodded. “I did. Her daddy eventually forgave me for it.”

  He pulled over in front of the diner, hurrying around the truck to open the door for her. He took her hand to help her step onto the curb. “I’m sorry Culpepper doesn’t have a fancier place for supper.”

  She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I haven’t been out to eat in a long time, so I’m just happy to have the opportunity.”

  He opened the door to the diner and waited for her to precede him. The waitress’s eyes widened as she saw him with a woman, but she quickly led them to a table. “What’re we drinking?”

  “Just water for me,” Patience replied.

  “I’ll have the same.” Ryan picked up his menu, though he wasn’t sure why. He’d eaten there at least once a week since Brandi died, and he had the whole thing memorized. “I highly recommend the meatloaf. Burgers are good too.”

  Patience frowned. “I think the meatloaf sounds good. I’ll have that.” She set the menu down, and he put his on top of it.

  Reaching across the table, he took her hand in his. “Do you mind?” he asked, softly, trying to keep in mind that she’d never really had a man pay attention to her before.

  She shook her head. “Of course not. If it bothered me that you might touch my hand, I certainly wouldn’t have come out with you to begin with.”

  He smiled at that. “You seem like an awfully special woman, and Corinne absolutely adores you. I—well, I have a proposition for you. There’s not a whole lot for you to get out of it, and there’s a lot that would really help me, so I shouldn’t be asking but…”

  “As far as I can tell, you haven’t asked anything!” Patience eyed him curiously.

  “Here’s the deal. You are wonderful with my daughter. I haven’t seen her bond with anyone the way she is bonding with you since Brandi died. She needs a mother. Desperately. I—I’m a busy man. I don’t have time to put a lot of effort into courting a woman. How would you feel about marrying me, and being Corinne’s new mama?”

  Patience blinked at Ryan a few times. As proposals went, it was downright insulting. There was nothing said about feelings for her, only about his daughter needing a new mother. “And where would you figure into things?”

  “What do you mean?” he asked, confused.

  “You’re talking about Corinne needing a mama. What about you? Are you in the market for a new wife? Or would we be roommates sharing parenting responsibilities?”

  He looked into her eyes, realizing he’d made a mess of things—as usual. “I’m sorry. Let’s face it. I’m just a country boy who doesn’t have a romantic or poetic bone is his entire body. I’m looking for a mother for my daughter and a wife. I’m not going to offer speeches filled with love and happily ever after, because I don’t know if I’ll ever fall in love with you. I just met you four days ago! The only thing I can offer is a little girl who would adore calling you mama.”

  “So you won’t expect me to share a bed with you?” Patience asked bluntly, surprised she was even able to choke the words out.

  He swallowed hard, rubbing his thumb back and forth across the palm of her hand. “I’d like you to share my bed very much. But I’d marry you either way. I’ll marry you with the agreement that we can slowly get to know each other, and you can share my bed whenever you feel ready. Or I’ll marry you and make love with you the first night. I’d prefer not waiting, but I can understand how you’d feel going to bed with a virtual stranger.” The waitress came by then, setting their drinks on the table beside them.

  “What’s it going to be?” the waitress asked, pulling her pencil from behind her right ear.

  After they’d ordered, he looked back at her. “I know I’m not saying things very well, or at all romantically, but I do think you’ll make a good wife. More importantly, I think you’ll make a great mother. That’s what really matters to me.”

  Patience studied him for a moment. All six of her cousins had found love with men there in Culpepper. They were all content with their marriages, and two were pregnant. Three if you counted Hope, who hadn’t announced anything yet, but seemed to be tossing her cookies every morning.

  She finally nodded. “Yeah, I’ll marry you.”

  He closed his eyes, exhaling sharply. “I was afraid you’d refuse because of how badly I blew that.”

  “Your words weren’t exactly my dream wedding proposal,” she admitted softly, “but I understand perfectly. I appreciate your honesty. You could have said you can’t imagine living without me. Instead you gave me the logical reason we should marry.”

  “Logic isn’t exactly romantic.”

  She shrugged at that. “Nope. It’s not. I’ll live through it.”

  “Let me try again.”

  Patience blinked at him. “You want to propose to me again?”

  Ryan nodded. “A real marriage proposal. With Corinne there. Is that all right?”

  She nodded. “Yes, that’s all right. Why?”

  “Because you deserve more than some man you’ve never gone out with hemming and hawing as he tells you what a good mother you’ll be for his little girl.” He brought her hand to his lips. “I can do better.”

  She smiled at that. “All right. I’ll let you show me.”

  “And um, what about the wedding night?”

  She blushed. “I don’t know yet. Can I think about it?”

  He nodded. “Absolutely.”

  She changed the subject then, not wanting to discuss anything further until Corinne was involved. The little girl had brought them together, so she had every right to help plan the wedding. “What do you like to do in your spare time?”

  He shrugged. “A single father who’s running his own business doesn’t exactly have any spare time. I work, and I take care of my daughter. If I find myself with a spare moment, I usually take a quick nap so I can keep going. What about you?”

  She shrugged. “I watch the television show Lazy Love. My cousin has watched all of the episodes at least thirty times, and I’m not as hooked on it as she is, but I like it. A lot.” She looked down at their hands that were still joined. “I like to read.” She leaned forward and whispered. “I read romance novels. My mama has been sneaking them to me for years.”

  “Sneaking them to you?”

  She nodded. “Daddy thinks that novels are from the devil. We can read, but only if it’s non-fiction and scripturally based. I think romance novels make women aware that it’s okay to have real feelings.”

  “Real feelings like sexually?” he asked, one eyebrow raised.

  She shrugged. “Our preacher preaches that it’s a sin for women to feel pleasure in the marriage bed. Romance novels, and my wonderful mother, kept me from believing that hogwash. I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one of my cousins believed it though. Not Chastity, of course, but one of them.”

  “That’s sad. I don’t believe that, just so you know. I believe a woman should get just as much pleasure from sex as a man should. I’m looking forward to showing you what I mean.” He winked at her, enjoying her blush.

  The food was placed before them, and they were quieter for a moment while they ate. When they were finished, he looked at her. “Do you want dessert? Or straight to dancing?”

  “No dessert. I prefer to eat my own treats.”

  “Treats. I like that
term for what you make.”

  “I guess it’s dancing, but I’ve never danced before. I’m afraid I’ll make a fool out of both of us.”

  He thought about that for a moment. “Well, I can’t be married to a woman who can’t dance, but you don’t need to be embarrassed by learning in public. I have an idea. You trust me?”

  She nodded warily. Did she trust him? She’d known him for four days, but if she was going to marry him, she’d better trust him.

  Once they were in the truck, he said, “I’m going to take you somewhere that I would like for you to see. It’s too late for you to see much, of course, but it’s the perfect place to teach you to dance.”

  “Okay…” She had no idea what he was talking about, but she wasn’t going to argue with him. He knew the area so much better than she did, and he knew what he wanted from the night. “Let’s go then.”

  Chapter Four

  He drove straight out of town, toward the mountains towering over them from the west. She’d seen the mountains several times, and desperately wanted to explore them, but their short time in Wyoming had been spent getting the bakery up and running. Saving the Culpepper Ranch had been foremost on everyone’s minds. Now that the risk of losing it was over, it seemed strange for her to have some spare time to do what she wanted to do.

  He drove for about twenty minutes, before finally pulling over at a small park. He put his truck in park and then fiddled with the radio for a minute. A loud George Strait song filled the truck.

  He got out and came around helping her down. “What are we doing here?” she asked.

  “I’m teaching you to dance.” He rolled both windows down with a tap of his finger and closed her door. “Now, you put this hand on my shoulder, and I’ll hold this hand.”

  Once she was standing how he wanted her, he gently began swaying to the music. She had never been held so close, and it made her feel—itchy. Itchy to get closer to him, and there were little tingles flying up her spine. She liked being held like this. Maybe too much.

  There was no moon that night, but the stars were bright, and she looked into his brown eyes as they moved to the music. “I think I could get used to this.”

  He smiled. “Dancing? Or being held?”

  “Both. I kind of like being this close to you.”

  “How do you think you’d feel about being kissed by me? I will keep my hands where they are.” One of his hands was on her waist, and the other was holding her hand.

  “I—I think that would be all right.”

  Slowly he lowered his head, half-expecting her to jump away from him skittishly, but instead, her eyes remained steady on his, until just before his lips touched hers, and her lashes flitted downward.

  Gently he pressed his lips to hers, brushing softly. He didn’t deepen the kiss in any way, instead just enjoying the feel of her lips pressed to his. He wanted to use the hand against her waist to pull her against him, but he refrained, not wanting to scare her with this first kiss.

  Patience felt like everything inside her body had been dormant until the instant his lips touched hers, and then it was as if she was finally alive. Every nerve ending in her body stood up and cheered when he kissed her, and she liked it. Oh, how she liked it! He was sweet and gentle, just like her mama had said a real gentleman would be. She was glad she’d had her mother’s words to tell her what it could be, because she’d think she was doing something sinful otherwise.

  When he pulled away from her, she wanted to cry out in protest. She wanted to go on kissing him forever, but she knew that wasn’t practical. It wasn’t something she should do. She wasn’t married to him yet. Oh, but when she was. She was going to enjoy being married. She knew it already.

  “Okay?” he asked.

  She nodded, moving a half-step closer to him, so she could lean her head forward against his shoulder. “I think I like dancing.”

  “And kissing?”

  She chuckled. “Oh, there’s no doubt I like kissing. I could do that all night and not get tired of it, so that’s why we probably shouldn’t.”

  “Probably not,” he agreed. “I sure wouldn’t mind, though.”

  She smiled at that, pulling her head back to look up at him. “You’re something else, Ryan Bassett. I think my life changed forever the day you brought a pretty little pink ballerina into my bakery.”

  “I hope so. Cuz I think forever is about how long Corinne and I are going to need you in our lives.”

  They got back into the truck after a little while, and turned the music down, but continued to sit there, holding hands and talking. They talked about all the normal first date stuff, learning one another, while they discussed their possible future. Together.

  It was an odd night, but a very good one. Patience knew she’d found the man God had meant for her to marry. She also knew that she didn’t need to wait for a wedding night. Even if he wasn’t in love with her yet, she was in love with him. She would marry him quickly, so Corinne could have a mother, but she would have married him regardless. Ryan Bassett was her other half. Whether she’d known him ten years or four days.

  *****

  Patience tried to stay calm as she got ready for church the following morning. She hadn’t been since leaving Kentucky for good reasons, and she wasn’t sure how she would feel about going. She wouldn’t let Ryan and Corinne down, though.

  She packed a bag with a pair of shorts and a T-shirt in it, knowing she would want to be comfortable for their picnic, and she put three of her individual s’mores cheesecakes into a small cooler.

  When the doorbell rang, she hurried to the door, wearing a pair of heels that still left her feeling dwarfed beside him. She felt cursed by the Quinlan short gene every time she stood beside him. Corinne was waving to her from the truck. She wished he’d kiss her good morning, but she knew it wouldn’t happen with Corinne watching, and she knew it shouldn’t. He’d only kissed her the one time, though she wished it was different.

  She got into the front seat with him, turning around to say good morning to the little girl, and handed her the cooler and the bag with her clothes for later. “You look very pretty this morning,” Patience told Corinne.

  Corinne smiled. “Daddy said as long as I didn’t wear my ballet outfit to church, I could wear my butterfly wings for the service. So I compromised.”

  “I think that was very smart of you!” Patience told the girl with a grin. “And you look lovely in that pretty blue dress.

  Corinne smoothed her dress down with a smile. “I know.”

  Patience suppressed a laugh as she met Ryan’s eyes. “She must have gotten her humility from you.”

  “Hey! What did I do to deserve that?”

  She shrugged. “Not sure, but it worked for me.”

  He pulled out onto the highway and headed toward Culpepper. “You’re going to love Brother Anthony.”

  “Brother Anthony is your pastor? He married all of my cousins. He’s amazing.”

  “He is, isn’t he?”

  Corinne had to put her two cents worth in. “I like Brother Anthony. He says silly things and makes everyone laugh.”

  “Is he as inept at preaching as he is at performing weddings?” Patience asked, excited to be part of the service that morning, now that she knew who the preacher was. There was no way his church or sermons would be anything like what she’d been accustomed to back home.

  “Oh, Brother Anthony is good at loving people, and that’s about it.”

  “What more does a preacher really need to be good at? My preacher back home could preach fire and brimstone with the best of them. He could tell you everything you do wrong, but he didn’t have one little drop of love in his heart. I think I’ll take Brother Anthony any day.”

  When they got to the church, Corinne insisted on walking between them, holding Patience’s hand with one hand, and Ryan’s with the other. “I feel like I have a whole family again,” she announced as they walked toward the church from the parking lot.

  If
Patience had been unsure about her decision to marry Ryan before that, she wasn’t now. She met Ryan’s gaze over Corinne’s head and nodded, hoping he’d know what she meant.

  His nod made her smile.

  As soon as they stepped into the church, Grace came rushing over and hugged her. “You’re going to love this church,” she whispered. “People here seem to know what love really is.”

  Grace and her family had gone to the same church as Patience, so she felt better hearing her cousin’s words. “I hope so.” She clung to Corinne’s hand, nervous about being the center of attention.

  Marcus, Grace’s husband, walked over and smiled at her. “Welcome. We’re really glad to have another one of the Quinlans here in church.” His eyes met hers, telling her he knew as much about her upbringing as Grace had been able to tell him. “Have you met Brother Anthony yet? You know he’s my grandfather, right?”

  Patience shook her head. “I haven’t formally met him, and I think I knew that once, but I’d forgotten. He seems like a good man.”

  Marcus nodded. “He’s wonderful.” He looked at Ryan and shook hands with him. “How’re things going for you?”

  Ryan smiled. “I think much better than they’ve been for a long time.”

  Marcus didn’t seem to need any kind of explanation. “It’s good to see you not looking quite so alone.”

  Brother Anthony moved up to the pulpit, so they hurried to find seats. Corinne insisted on sitting between Ryan and Patience, obviously happy to have people she loved surrounding her.

  When Patience realized the sermon was about showing love to others, she exhaled softly, content. She’d never heard such a well-meaning sermon back home, where it had all seemed to be about how it was a Christian’s responsibility to change everyone around them.

  After the sermon, Corinne hurried off to find a friend or two, and brought them back to meet Patience, who was talking to Brother Anthony and his wife, Lovie.

  She immediately turned her attention to the little girl and her friends. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

  “Are you the lady who keeps driving Corinne to ballet camp?” one of the little girls asked.