Choosing the Cowboy (Grape Seed Falls Romance Book 1) Read online

  The silence that followed held an electric charge. Her mother sniffled and her dad slowed the car. She waited while he turned into the Dairy Queen. He often brought the girls here when they’d had a hard day at school, or one of them had just gotten their immunizations, or just as a daddy-daughter date.

  “Twist?” he asked over his shoulder.

  “Sure,” she said.

  He ordered three ice cream cones, and the sound of the idling car filled the space between them.

  When the worker passed the cones over, he reached back and handed Maggie hers. Her stomach clenched, and she couldn’t get herself to lick the ice cream.

  “Daddy,” she said.

  He pulled forward but didn’t turn onto the street. “Maggie, I just want you to be happy. You took so naturally to running the store. I thought—” He swallowed, his own ice cream melting in his hand. “I was wrong to ask Chase to stay away. The fact that he stayed away for five months just to respect my wishes says a lot about his character.”

  He licked around his cone and pulled into the street. “You should invite him over for dinner on Sunday.”

  Maggie half-laughed, half-choked. “Thanks, Daddy.”

  With that out of the way, Maggie was finally able to enjoy her chocolate twisted with vanilla ice cream cone.

  Sunday came and went, and Chase didn’t see Maggie. Their phone call on Wednesday night had happened with her in tears—the happy kind. She’d invited him to dinner, but he couldn’t get away from his ranching duties. He’d taken too much time off to go to Grape Seed Falls, and it wasn’t fair to make someone work when he hadn’t.

  He was covered in mud by the time he got back to his cabin, his mood fouler than it had been in a while. Basically penniless, Chase was grateful part of his wages included his cabin, and that Heidi would feed him whenever he showed up at the homestead.

  Problem was, he didn’t feel like hashing everything out with her and Frank, so he’d stayed in his cabin, eating sandwiches.

  “Maggie just called,” Matty said from his place on the couch. He looked like he hadn’t gotten dressed that day.

  “I’ll call her after I shower.” He went into the bathroom and stripped off his dirty clothes. Once he was clean and a little calmer, he made himself a grilled cheese sandwich and took it into his bedroom to make the phone call.

  A conversation wasn’t enough for him, and while he liked the sound of her feminine voice, it wasn’t the same as holding her, breathing in her flowery perfume, kissing her delicious lips.

  “What about next week?” she asked.

  “I don’t know yet,” he said. “Maybe I can tell you on Friday when you come to the dance?”

  “Yeah, sure.” She wore a smile in her voice, and that made Chase happy before he hung up. That week, he fed cattle and saddled horses and filled out the supply forms for what he used.

  Friday afternoon, he stopped by his cabin to grab something to eat before he had to go out to the bull pens and rotate them to a new pasture. He hated working with the bulls, because they were stubborn and dangerous.

  The light on the answering machine caught his attention when he stepped through the door. He punched it before continuing into the kitchen for an apple.

  “Mister Carver, this is Mister Gallivan from the First National Bank in Grape Seed Falls.” The apple fell from Chase’s hands. He swung his attention to the answering machine. “The appraiser has been out to the ranch, which was much sooner than expected. I have some good news and some bad news. Please call me when you get a moment.”

  Chase lunged for the phone, his heart beating irregularly. He scrambled to dial the number as the loan officer rattled it off, and waited impatiently while the call connected.

  “Mister Gallivan, please,” he said to the secretary who answered.

  “Mister Carver,” the man said after several long seconds of silence. “I’m glad you called back. Shall I start with the good news or the bad news?”

  “Let’s go with good,” he said. The room spun a little, and Chase sank onto the arm of the couch.

  “The appraiser thinks the ranch would be profitable right away, and would provide enough for you to make your loan payments.”

  Relief rushed through Chase. That wasn’t good news. That was great news. “All right.” A smile played with Chase’s lips.

  “Bad news is, he thinks you need a down payment to lower the initial payment, and we still want a second signer.”

  Chase’s gut tightened. “How much of a down payment.”

  “Ten thousand dollars.”

  It might as well be a million, Chase thought. “Thank you, sir.” He swallowed, and then swallowed again. “What’s the next step?”

  “I can fax or mail you the papers you need for the co-signer. You can have your bank transfer the down payment, and then the loan will be generated to purchase the ranch.”

  A signature from someone he didn’t have. A payment from an account that currently held thirty-four dollars.

  Chase felt like he was trying to go to the moon. “Thank you. Will you mail me the papers, please? I don’t have any way to receive a fax.”

  “I’ll put them in the mail today.”

  Chase hung up, his arms and legs turning numb. His brain didn’t quite seem to work. What was he supposed to tell Maggie? She’d be wearing one of her pretty sundresses and waiting for him at the park in only a few short hours. He didn’t want to leave his cabin, because he now knew he’d never be leaving Three Rivers Ranch, and Maggie Duffin would never be his.

  “No,” he said. “This isn’t happening.” He pushed himself off the couch and strode out the door, down the steps, and over to the homestead. “Heidi!” he called as he entered the house. “Heidi?”

  She came around the corner, her expression concerned. “Chase? What’s goin’ on? Where’s Frank?” She practically ran to the bank of windows overlooking the deck, the yard, the whole ranch.

  “I’m sure Frank’s in his office.” It was an hour past lunchtime, and Frank was routine to the minute. “This isn’t about Frank. It’s about Maggie.”

  Heidi turned back to him, her worries fading. “Oh. I heard things were going well.” Heidi moved to the counter and folded a towel she’d left there. “I was told in no uncertain terms to make sure you had Sunday evening free this week.” She gave him a friendly smile. “It seems we’ll be related soon enough.”

  Warmth chased away the ice in Chase’s blood. “I sure hope so, Heidi. But, uh, I have a problem.” He explained the situation with her, ending with, “What else can I do to win over your father? I don’t think I can work at that store—no offense—for very long.” He swiped off his cowboy hat and scrubbed his hair until his scalp hurt. “Help me, Heidi. If I have to go over there and eat with your parents on Sunday, I have to have something to tell them.”

  Heidi laughed, which did nothing to ease the desperation coiling through Chase. She put her hand on his forearm. “Chase, you need to calm down.”

  Chase looked into her brown eyes, switching them out for Maggie’s bluer ones. If he did that and sprinkled a smattering of freckles across Heidi’s cheekbones and nose, he could be looking at Maggie. “Help me.”

  “Let me talk to Frank, okay?”

  Chase had no idea what Frank would be able to do in this situation, but he had gotten Heidi’s father’s approval, so maybe he did have some tips. “All right,” Chase said.

  “All right.” Heidi gave him a knowing look and moved around the island to the fridge. “Here, take this. You’ll feel better soon.” She handed him one of her homemade pudding cups. He didn’t argue; he took the treat and got out of the kitchen. His problem still existed, but at least he had chocolate to go with it.

  That evening, just as he dashed down his front steps, Frank stepped out of the barn that sat across from his cabin.

  “Chase,” he said. “You goin’ to the dance tonight?”

  “Yeah, I’m meetin’ Maggie, and I’m already late.”

 
; “Can you spare a couple more minutes?”

  Chase didn’t want to, but Frank wore a serious look that meant business. He schooled his facial expression and voice into nonchalance. “Sure. What’s up?”

  Frank stepped out of the doorway and handed Chase an envelope. “What’s this?” It didn’t have any writing on it, and barely seemed to weigh anything.

  “Open it.”

  Chase did, almost ripping the single slip of paper inside. He pulled out the check, his heart thundering in his chest like a herd of wild horses. “Frank, this is ten thousand dollars.”

  “I know how much it is,” he said. “I wrote it.”

  Chase tore his eyes from the numbers, his mouth hanging open, and found Frank smiling at him from the doorway of the barn. “Frank—” He didn’t know what else to say. All at once, horror slammed into him. “I didn’t go talk to Heidi in the hopes you’d give me the money.” He thrust the check back toward his boss. “I already took money from you this month. I can’t accept this.”

  Frank didn’t even twitch. “Sure, you can. It’s our wedding present to you and Maggie.”

  “We’re not—”

  “But you will be.” Frank pushed off the doorway and walked down the gravel path, leaving Chase holding what felt like the answer to all his prayers.

  6

  Maggie waited on the edge of the dance floor, a cup of punch in her hand that she hadn’t sipped once. Chase was late, and Chase was never late.

  For some reason, her insecurities had been rearing their heads since he dropped her off at the store over a week ago. He hadn’t said anything about the financing or the ranch in Grape Seed Falls, and if she tried to bring it up, he changed the subject.

  She was going to get answers from him tonight, no matter what—if he would just show up. She turned back to the refreshment table, intending to eat cookies until he arrived, and caught sight of a couple of cowboys heading her way.

  She breathed a sigh of relief and tossed her punch in the trashcan. She met Chase halfway across the lawn, unable to wait for him to come to her. “Hey, pretty girl.” He grinned and swept her off her feet. She squealed as he twirled her, and when he set her on her feet, he claimed her lips.

  “I thought you weren’t coming.” She glanced at the other cowboy. “Hey, Matty.”

  “Who looks good tonight?” He focused on the dance floor.

  “Lots of cute girls out there,” she said. “Go on. Be nice.” She waited until he moved away, then she turned her attention back to Chase. “So, what’s going on?”

  He took her hand in his and led her slowly toward the dance floor. “Who says something’s going on?”

  “I don’t know, I can just feel it.”

  “Do you want to dance, or can we just talk?”

  “Talking would be great.”

  He found a bench and sat down. Instead of sitting next to him, Maggie sat right on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and shaking her hair over her shoulders with a laugh. When he didn’t respond past a smile, she sobered. “Okay, talk.”

  “The bank in Grape Seed Falls called today.”

  Maggie sucked in a breath and waited, praying for good news. Really good news. Please let it be good news.

  “They’ll approve the loan if I can get a co-signer and a ten thousand dollar down payment.”

  He kept his gaze locked on hers, his throat working as he swallowed. Her heart sank and bounced back. Sank and bounced back. She didn’t know how to deal with the emotion, and she felt sick.

  “Well, that’s that, then,” she said. “You don’t have ten thousand dollars, do you?”

  He chuckled. “Sweetheart, I had to pay the appraiser five hundred dollars when we left Grape Seed Falls, and then I had to call Frank to get an advance so I could buy gas to get us home.”

  She lowered her chin. “So the ranch isn’t going to happen.”

  His blue eyes danced with amusement, one of the first things she’d fallen in love with when it came to Chase. “Frank and Heidi gave us the money as a wedding present.”

  Disbelief tore through her, and her eyes widened, searching his. “No.”

  He laughed. “Yes.” He tipped his head up and kissed her. “Face it, Maggie. We’re going to get married.”

  Joy infused her very being. This wasn’t great news. This was spectacular news. “We’re going to get married.” She giggled and pressed her smiling mouth sloppily to his. They both laughed and she tucked her head into the crook of his neck.

  “So now I just need to find a co-signer,” he said. “I can’t ask Frank.” His voice tightened. “I could probably talk to my mom, but we’ll see.”

  “When do you have to know?”

  “The loan officer is mailing me the forms. I probably won’t have them until Tuesday. So I have a few days.”

  “Could I sign?”

  “Do you own any property?”

  If she’d chosen the farm supply store over Chase, she would have property. But, she was forced to say, “No, but I do move into my new apartment tomorrow.”

  “I wish I could come help.” He traced his lips across her collarbone. “But if I do, I can’t make it to dinner on Sunday.”

  “Dinner on Sunday is more important.” She ran her fingertips along the back of his neck, right at the hairline. “I only have a few things. My dad will help, and my uncle is loaning us his truck.” Her brain landed on something, and she gasped. “Chase,” she said, her voice full of air and surprise. “What about my dad?” She sat up and peered down at him.

  Chase frowned. “What about him?”

  “Could he co-sign the loan? He owns property and has a successful business.”

  Hope and wonder crossed his face, but he shook his head. “No, I can’t ask him to do that. He barely likes me as it is.”

  “He likes you fine.”

  “He thinks I’m stealing your whole future from you.”

  Maggie didn’t like the way that sounded, even if her father had said something similar once. “He just wants me to be happy. The store used to make me happy, and he doesn’t have anyone else to pass it along to.” Maggie looked over his head and gazed into the darkness beyond the bench.

  “I’ll figure something out,” Chase said. “I don’t want you to worry about it.” He nudged her, and she stood. “Let’s go dance.”

  Maggie felt like she’d swallowed a ball of nerves encased in a box of jumping beans. Chase was due to arrive in five minutes. The house smelled like roasted meat and buttery potatoes. Her mother bustled around, pulling the rolls out of the oven and muttering to herself. She seemed just as anxious as Maggie, who’d arrived a couple of hours ago to help in the kitchen.

  She tore her eyes from the activity in the kitchen and looked out the window again. A truck sat at the curb now, and Chase was halfway to the door, a bouquet of wildflowers in his hand.

  “He’s here!” she called and moved to the door. She pulled it open before he could knock, the pristine sight of him soothing all her nerves. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” He swept his arm around her waist and kissed her quick, his smile a little wooden on his face.

  She put her hand in his free one and led him through the living room and down the hall to the kitchen. “Mom, you remember Chase Carver.”

  Her mother dusted her hands on her apron and ran her fingers through her hair. “Of course. Chase.”

  “These are for you, ma’am.” He handed her the flowers and she smiled at them before setting them on the windowsill above the sink. She embraced him and untied her apron. “Dinner’s ready. Let me get your father.” She tossed the apron on the stovetop and left.

  Maggie introduced Chase to her sisters again, and they both received him with their best Southern manners in place. Daddy came down the hall and Maggie squeezed Chase’s fingers.

  “Sir.” Chase removed his cowboy hat and extended his hand for her father to shake.

  Daddy smiled and shook Chase’s hand. “How was the drive from Three Rivers?�
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  Chase chuckled, the sound full of nerves. “It felt really long, actually.”

  “Well, we’re glad you made it.” He gestured toward the dining room table, which Bridgette had set immaculately. Maggie took her usual spot. Chase sat where Heidi had for years, between Maggie and her father.

  They said grace, and her mother said, “We just sort of pass around here, Chase.”

  He reached for the green peas, which sat in front of him. “Everything smells great.”

  Once everyone had plates full of food, Daddy said, “So, Chase, Maggie’s told us very little about this ranch down in Hill Country. What can you tell us about it?” He ladled gravy onto his pot roast, but Maggie could barely move. She almost dropped the bowl of mashed potatoes her mother passed her, and not only because the ceramic was hot.

  “Oh, it’s a beautiful ranch,” Chase said, accepting the mashed potatoes from Maggie. “Have you been to Hill Country? There’s something magical about it.” He went on to detail the Medina River, the vineyards, the quaint town of Grape Seed Falls.

  “How far is it from here?” her mother asked, and Maggie heard the notes of sadness beneath the words.

  “About eight hours in a car,” Chase said, though Maggie had told her mother on at least two separate occasions about the distance. They’d let Heidi go to San Francisco, but she’d settled permanently in Three Rivers, only an hour away.

  Maggie patted her mom’s hand. “We’ll visit all the time, Mom. And Daddy’s going to retire soon, and you guys will be so bored you’ll want to come down to Grape Seed Ranch.”

  “You’re talking like this is a done deal,” Daddy said.

  Maggie exchanged a glance with Chase, who stuffed another bite of meat and potatoes into his mouth. “Well, some of it is,” Maggie said. “Chase and I want to get married.”