Cowboy 12 Pack Read online

  Ace moved the pan off the burner and turned off the stove before gripping Emma’s arms. “I know.” He smoothed a hair out of her face. “You miss him. We get that. We’re not asking you to stop loving him or forget him. We just want you to get on with your life and be happy.”

  “I’m as happy as I can be without Marcus.” Emma stared up into Ace’s eyes, her own so dry, she blinked. “Why can’t you leave me alone?”

  Ace smiled. “Because you’re not happy. You’re still hurting and living an empty life. It breaks our hearts that you’re not willing to think there might be someone else out there for you.”

  She sniffed. “Marcus was the only man for me.”

  “Emma, you’re young, and you have a big heart with a lot of room to love. I mean look at this family.” He waved his hand over his head. “It’s big. Four brothers is a lot for a girl to handle, but you love us all.”

  “That’s different.” She shoved a hand through her tangled hair. “You’re family.”

  “How does a mother love more than one child?”

  “Again, you’re talking family.”

  “And you didn’t consider Marcus family?”

  Emma frowned. “Yes. Again, it’s different. I wanted to marry him and have his children. I don’t want to marry you or have your children.” She shrugged.

  “A comforting thought. But that’s the beauty of the heart—it knows no limits. You have to give yourself a chance.”

  “You mean give Cooper a chance.” She snorted and shook her head. “He’s just another cowboy.” Who’d set her blood burning through her veins when it had no business doing that.

  “If not Cooper, someone else.” Ace tipped her chin and stared into her eyes. “You can’t make a future for yourself until you loosen your hold on the past. Marcus is dead. He’d have wanted you to move on. To find love again and have a family.”

  “I have all the family I need.” She wrapped her arms around Ace’s waist and buried her face in his shirt. “Why do I need more?” she muttered against his shirt.

  “Because you deserve to love again.” Ace patted her hair and held her close.

  “Hey, what’s all this hugging? Can a brother get in on some of that?” Brand entered the room, carrying his boots, his hair standing on end. He dropped the boots and opened his arms, wrapping them around Emma’s back, sandwiching her between himself and Ace. “Never too early for a group hug, in my book.”

  “Can you lighten up?” Emma laughed. “I can’t breathe.”

  Colton entered, fully dressed, clean-shaven and headed straight for the stove, bypassing Ace, Emma and Brand. “Watcha burnin’?”

  “My bacon.” Ace broke the hold and lunged for the pan. “If you want some, cook it yourself.”

  “Why, when you made enough for me?” Colton snitched a piece from the pan and popped it into his mouth, staring at Emma as he chewed. “Are we talking about Cooper?”

  “No.” Emma pulled the bacon package out of the fridge and slapped it on the counter. “We’re low on sweet feed for the horses. Colton, why don’t you head to the feed store after breakfast?”

  “I’ll go.” Dillon entered the room, buttoning his chambray shirt.

  “No, I’ll do it.” Colton pulled the carton of eggs out of the refrigerator. “You’d get too busy flirting with Bekka and forget to bring home the feed.”

  Dillon’s face reddened. “Would not.”

  “Would not what?” Colton grinned. “Forget or flirt?”

  Dillon glared. “Either.”

  Emma shook her head. Dillon had it bad for Bekka Jones, the daughter of the feed store owner. “Why don’t you ask her out?”

  “She’s got a boyfriend.”

  “Since when has that ever stopped you?” Brand shoved the loaf of bread into Dillon’s hands. “Here, make yourself useful while I set the table.”

  Dillon grabbed a handful of bread from the bag and popped it into the toaster. “Emma’s stalling. From what I could tell, you were talking about Cooper, not Bekka. Stick to the topic.”

  “We’re not talking about Cooper,” Emma insisted, her cheeks warming. “Do you want breakfast, or not?”

  “Has he called yet?” Dillon asked.

  Emma flipped her hair over her shoulder, her hand trembling just a bit. “Who?”

  “You know who.” Brand shook his head. “Cooper.”

  “No.” With her back to the room, Emma refused to face the brother inquisition. “Why should he?”

  “He said he was gonna ask our baby sister out on a proper date.” Brand grinned. “Guess hauling hay, skinny dippin’ and a football game isn’t proper in his books.”

  Emma’s fingers slipped on the greasy bacon and she dropped a piece on the counter. She had to remind herself, Cooper asking her on a date was all part of the plan. Stretching the bacon across the bottom of the pan, she sucked in a calming breath and let it out.

  “Sounds like a good date to me.” Colton cracked eggs into a second skillet. “Especially the skinny dippin’ part.”

  “It would.” Dillon punched his brother’s shoulder. “Might explain why you don’t have a girlfriend.”

  “I could have a girlfriend, if I wanted,” Colton grumbled. “Just haven’t met the right one.”

  “You know, instead of trying to marry me off to any ol’ Tom, Dick or Harry, why aren’t you boys settling down?” Emma plunked the pan of bacon on the burner and turned up the fire beneath it. She faced her brothers. “Why aren’t you all married and making babies?”

  Brand’s brows rose. “Now, now. Don’t change the subject. We were talking about you.”

  “Yeah, and I’m tired of that subject.” She poked a finger into Brand’s chest. “Why aren’t you dating?”

  “Yeah.” Ace crossed his arms. “Why aren’t you dating?”

  Brand’s brows drew together. “You’re the oldest. Seems you should be the first to marry.”

  Dillon and Colton joined Brand in a line, arms crossed and all staring at Ace.

  Emma hid her smile and turned back to the pan of sizzling bacon. Nothing like a little bait and switch to get her brothers off her back.

  Breakfast continued with good-natured ribbing, the heat off Emma for the moment.

  Though knowing Cooper would be calling her some time that day didn’t help her nerves. Thank goodness, she had a job that would keep her away from the phone for most of the day. At the T-Bar-M Ranch, she went through the day on autopilot, putting the horses through their paces, mucking stalls and grooming. By the time she got home, she was hungry and ready for a shower and a cool drink.

  As she stepped into the house, the phone rang, sending her nerves skittering across her senses. Dillon had gone with Colton to town late in the afternoon. Emma had left Ace and Brand outside, adjusting the hinges on the gate to the corral, which left her alone in the house.

  She let the phone ring once, twice…fully intending to let the answering machine pick up. But on the third ring, Ace entered the house.

  “I’ll get it.” He picked up on the fourth ring before the answering machine.

  Emma groaned and headed for the bathroom.

  “Hey, Emma, it’s for you,” Ace called out.

  Brand entered the door at that time. “Must be Coop. Say hello for me.”

  Emma trudged toward the hall phone where Ace held the receiver, a grin spreading across his face. “He wants to go out tonight. I told him you didn’t have plans.”

  With a glare, Emma yanked the phone from Ace’s hand. “Thanks.”

  “Be nice, Emma, or you’ll scare him off.”

  She covered the mouthpiece and whispered, “That’s the idea.”

  Ace snorted. “Even if you don’t want to give him a chance, give yourself a chance. Go out for a change. You’ve been glued to the house since—” Her brother stopped before saying it. His eyes widened. “Sorry.”

  Emma’s hand shook. She hadn’t gone out at night since Marcus left for Afghanistan over two years ago, preferring th
e company of her brothers than running into well-wishers in town.

  Ace grinned. “Oh, by the way, I was just kidding. It’s not Cooper.” He slipped away, leaving Emma to answer the phone.

  She had words prepared to tell Cooper she didn’t want to see him again. She didn’t realize until Ace mentioned it that the caller would be anyone else. “This is Emma.”

  “Emma! Leslie here.” The woman didn’t wait to breathe before jumping in. “How was your date with Mr. Johnson?”

  Great, sexy, everything most girls could want. “Not what I asked for,” Emma replied in a flat tone.

  “Oh.” Leslie paused. “You didn’t like him?”

  Before responding, Emma glanced around to make sure her brothers were out of earshot. “I didn’t want the date to work. I wanted it to be a complete failure to throw my brothers off my back.”

  “I knew it.” A chuckle erupted into the phone. “You liked Cooper, didn’t you?”

  Emma leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. “That’s beside the point.”

  “No, it’s exactly the right point. My software worked and paired you with a perfect match.”

  Emma opened her eyes and stared out the front door to the Texas landscape. “My perfect match died.”

  “Honey, you have to let Marcus go,” Leslie said softly. “He wouldn’t have wanted you to mourn him for the rest of your life.”

  “You aren’t listening, Leslie.” Emma pushed a hand through her hair and lowered her voice. “I don’t want another man in my life.”

  “You have to move on.”

  “Like you have?” Emma said, her voice a little harsher than necessary. Immediately she felt awful. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t called for.”

  “You’re right, Emma. I plan on moving on. I’ve entered my data into the program and I’m waiting for a match. I don’t have all that many men entered into the system yet. But when the match comes along, I’ll be…open-minded.”

  Emma sighed. “Maybe I’m just not ready.”

  “When are we ever? Getting back out in the dating market is scary. I get that.” Leslie paused again. “Give Cooper a chance.”

  Boy, if that wasn’t an echo, Emma didn’t know what was. “You sound like my brothers.”

  “They liked him, too?” Leslie squealed. “I knew it!”

  “Don’t get all excited. I’ve already told Cooper I plan to ditch him. He’s on board.”

  “Oh.” Leslie’s voice dropped an octave. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “I know you wanted to prove your program, but I warned you, I’m not the right person.”

  “Cooper seemed like such a nice guy. I just knew you two would hit it off.”

  Oh, they had. But Emma wasn’t telling Leslie that. With her brothers fully backing the cowboy, she had enough complications to wade through. “I’m sure you can find another woman for him to date. He’s a good looking man.” All the way down to the bare essentials, with all the right equipment—Emma shook herself. “And he’s hard-working and considerate.”

  “But you don’t want him.” Leslie sighed. “Okay then. I’ll see what else I can come up with. I had a hard enough time convincing him to try out my program. I’m not sure he’ll give me a second chance.”

  “If it helps, I’ll talk with him the next time I see him.”

  “Would you?” Leslie’s voice lifted. “I have a lot riding on Cooper. If he backs out, I could lose a lot of business.”

  Emma laughed without feeling much humor. “Way to make me feel even guiltier.”

  “I’m sorry. I know you did this as a favor, but I’ve sunk every cent and all the money from Kent’s life insurance policy into this business. If I can’t get clients to spread the word, I’m sunk.”

  “What about advertising?”

  “I’m counting on word of mouth and individual endorsements. I want strictly handpicked clientele. I’ve created an exclusive matching making service with a promise of extreme discretion.”

  “Then why did you want me? I’m just a cowgirl with a degree in animal husbandry.”

  “Honey, you’re a whole lot more than that, and you know it.” Leslie snorted. “You’ve got a masters, you’re from a long line of ranchers dating back to when this big ol’ state joined the union and you have a heart the size of Texas. I probably would have jumped off a cliff by now if you hadn’t joined our support group when you did.”

  “Good grief, Leslie, you make me sound like a saint, which I’m anything but. Besides, you were well on your way to recovery, and I didn’t do anything but say hello.”

  “You were the friend I needed to kick me in the pants and go after something I’d always wanted to do. Without you encouraging—”

  Emma snorted. “Nagging?”

  “I never would have done it.”

  “So it’ll be my fault if you lose everything?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Back to the original guilt trip.”

  “Whatever it takes, honey.”

  “I’ll talk to Cooper. Surely, I can persuade him to give you another shot.”

  “Thanks, Emma. Your effort means the world to me.” Leslie paused. “When are you planning to dump Cooper? Officially?”

  “Wow, already lining up his next date?”

  “I gotta strike while the iron’s hot.”

  “I’ll let you know.”

  “Thanks, Emma. I’m really sorry things didn’t work out.”

  Emma hung up and stared at the phone for a long moment, her heart squeezing.

  Leslie was the only person in the world who truly knew what Emma was going through, having lost her husband to cancer. How could she think Emma was ready to jump back into the dating scene? But that was just like Leslie to concentrate on making other people happy to avoid her own sorrow. Setting up the matchmaking service had been an all-consuming task for the young widow, giving her something to focus on besides her loss.

  Emma had been her best cheerleader, rooting for her all along the way. What she hadn’t considered was Leslie turning her new machine on herself. Reentering the dating scene had never crossed Emma’s mind. And to have Cooper selected out of Leslie’s limited pool of resources had been unfortunate.

  The phone rang again. On reflex, Emma snatched it up. “Hello.”

  “Emma?”

  Emma’s pulse rocketed. “Cooper?”

  “You sound surprised. You expected my call, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, yes,” she stammered. “Of course. It’s all part of the plan.”

  “Right,” he responded, his voice calm and almost cheerful.

  Emma’s teeth ground together. “What do you want?”

  “I thought tonight would be as good as any for our second date? What do you say to an early dinner?”

  With a deep, steadying breath, Emma forced air in and out of lungs before responding. “Tonight’s not good.” Any night wasn’t good, as far as going out with Cooper was concerned.

  “How about tomorrow night? Unless you want to call it quits now?” He paused.

  If Emma told him to buzz off now, her brothers were likely to continue setting her up with more dates. The end of the fake relationship with Cooper had to be a doozy. One that would get her brother’s off her back. “No, tomorrow would be better.”

  “It’s your game. Say the word and I flip the switch.”

  Emma’s gut clenched. “I’m sorry, Cooper. This whole situation isn’t fair to you. You don’t have to play along if you don’t want to.”

  “I’ve been bored for a while. I find this set of circumstances distracting.” He chuckled. “I’ll let you know when I’m no longer amused.”

  “Thanks.” She sighed and her fingers tightened on the receiver. “I don’t deserve you.”

  “That’s debatable,” he parried.

  Emma closed her eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  *

  COOPER SET THE phone back in the cradle on the conference room table. “I don’t know.”
/>   “She agreed to tomorrow night?” Leslie stood on the other side of the table, wringing her hands.

  “Yes.” Cooper grinned. “Though she didn’t sound happy.”

  Tag stood beside Leslie, a frown pulling his brows together. “Coop, I have to say this isn’t exactly going as I thought it would. You don’t have to do this.”

  Cooper sat back in the leather chair, drumming his fingers on the mahogany surface. “No. I said I’d give Leslie’s program a shot.”

  “Yeah, but from what Leslie was saying, Emma wasn’t really committed to finding a match.”

  “I could look for another match,” Leslie offered.

  Before Leslie finished the sentence, Cooper was shaking his head. “No. I’m intrigued by the one you found.”

  Max tapped the table. “But if she’s not interested—”

  “Then I have to change her mind.” Cooper stared around the room at the other three men.

  “Are you sure about this?” Gage asked. “If the woman’s not willing…”

  “We’re all successful businessmen.” Cooper pushed to his feet. “We put our heads together to make that happen. Surely, we can come up with a way to change Emma’s mind.”

  Leslie crossed her arms, her brow wrinkling. “People aren’t businesses, Cooper. Emma’s got reasons for not wanting to get involved.”

  Cooper nodded. “I know about her former fiancé.”

  “Kind of tough to compete with a memory,” Sean pointed out.

  “I don’t see it that way.” Cooper’s lips tightened.

  Max clapped his hands together. “Well, then, let’s help our man find love.”

  “Now you’re talking.” Cooper propped his hands on his hips. “What can I do to change her mind?”

  “Wine and dine her,” Gage suggested.

  “She’s not a froufrou kind of woman,” Cooper countered. “She’s all about horses, ranching and the outdoors.”

  “Sounds like a woman after me own heart.” Sean pressed a hand to his chest, emphasizing his Irish accent. “When do we get to meet the lass?”

  Hand held upright, Cooper glared. “Back off. Women tend to fall for that smarmy Irish charm.”