Her Texas Cowboy Protector (The Winchester Cowboys #3)

Chapter Six

Landon reached under the dinner table and clasped Natalie’s hand. She squeezed it and slid her eyes toward him, the corner of her mouth lifting.

His older brother, Beau, said, “Natalie, I’ve never been to a Central Market, I’m embarrassed to say. What makes it different from, say, a regular H-E-B store?”

Natalie put her fork down. “A Central Market has lots of gourmet foods. We also have a sushi bar, and we offer cooking classes and wine-tasting classes. It’s just more high-end, I guess. I love managing the store. There’s always something new to learn.”

Beau and his wife Dakota, along with Dakota’s adult foster son Jonathan, their six-year-old daughter Cat, and toddler son, Micah, had all come down to visit Beau’s parents for the weekend. Landon had invited Natalie over to meet them.

“It sounds like a wonderful store. I’ve been shopping in a Central Market but had no idea that they offered those classes. I’ll have to go into the one closest to us again and sign up,” Dakota said.

“It’ll be fun, Dakota. I’m sure you won’t regret it,” Natalie said.

“Seconds, anyone? There’s plenty of food,” his mom said. She’d had to add the four extra leaves to the dining table to make room for everyone, and she beamed with happiness to have her whole brood at the table.

“I’ll take more okra. You make the best fried okra I’ve ever tasted, Debra,” Haley said.

Landon’s dad passed the bowl to Landon, and he sent it on its way around the table to Haley.

Carson reached for the fried potatoes. “I’ll have more of these. Dang they’re good.” While he was at it, he added a bit of them to his little daughter Aria’s plate. She immediately dug into them, and he smiled.

Debra had made two large peach cobblers and homemade vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Taking a bite, Natalie said, “This is amazing, Debra. It’s so incredibly rich. And the peaches are full of flavor. I’ve never tasted anything like it.”

His mom smiled. “I’m glad you like it. We’re blessed to have our own peach tree, I know, and the ice cream isn’t hard to make.”

Dakota chimed in, “No matter how many times I eat it, I’m always blown over by how fantastic this is. Your desserts are always one of the highlights of my visits, Debra.”

“Thank you, honey. I’m glad,” his mom said.

After dinner, grandma and grandpa took the kids into the living room and entertained them while the adults did the cleanup. It didn’t take long, even though the three brothers were constant cutups during the process.

When they’d finished and were filing out of the room, Natalie slipped her arm around Landon’s waist. “I’d better get going. I have a lot to do yet tonight to prepare for tomorrow.”

He paused and kissed her temple. “I wish you didn’t have to leave, but I understand.”

“I want everything to go perfectly for our visit from corporate.”

He wrapped her in his arms and held her close, saving the feel of her body into his memory. “Drive safely, okay? Watch out for deer.”

She rose to her tiptoes and kissed him, slowly, thoroughly, making his heart race.

He grinned as she drew away. “That’ll hold me for a while.”

Smiling, she said, “I’ll miss you tonight.”

“Me too. Call me when you get home safely. I’m going to worry until you do.”

“I will.”

After she said her farewells to everyone, he followed her outside. After one last sensual kiss, she said goodbye and climbed into her jeep.

As he watched the jeep recede down the long ranch drive, his heart fell. He hated how far apart they lived from each other. Nearly two hours’ drive was too much.

When he entered the living room again, Beau said, “I liked Natalie.”

“I did too,” Dakota said. “She seems kind—and of course, she’s intelligent. Managing a large store like Central Market takes skill and hard work.”

“I’m glad you all got to meet her. She’s important to me,” he said as he sat down.

“It’s great that you share an interest in climbing,” Beau said. He took a swallow of his beer, then continued. “You’ve been climbing by yourself for a long time, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, I have.”

“I feel better that he’s going with other people now, I can tell you,” Debra said. “I always worried something would happen to him when he went out alone.”

He smiled at her. “I was safe enough. There’re always other climbers around at the places I go.”

He rose and went to the kitchen to get a beer for himself. When he reentered the living room, Beau said, “Why don’t you and Carson and I go out on the porch? Some brother time would be nice.”

Dakota said, “I’d like to get that ice cream recipe from Debra.”

“Me too,” Haley said.

When the three of them had found seats outside, Beau looked at Landon. “So, tell me, how serious is it with Natalie?”

Landon smiled. His big brother had always been protective of him. “On my end it’s serious. And I think she really cares about me too.” He took a sip of beer as he considered his next words.

After a moment, he said, “Honestly, I think she may be the one. I’ve never felt this way before. She’s a bit of everything I’ve been looking for. Beautiful and smart, and funny and sweet. She wants a family, and I like her parents, and they seem to like me. We enjoy doing the same things, and that’s important. I couldn’t ask for anything more in a woman.”

“She sounds perfect for you, brother,” Carson said. “And Haley and I really like her.”

“You’ve been alone for quite a while. It’s about time you met the right woman. I’m happy for you, Landon,” Beau said.

Ken walked outside, beer in hand. “You three solved all the world’s problems yet?”

“Have a seat, Dad,” he said. “We were just talking about Natalie.”

Ken sat in the chair nearest him. “She’s a real nice girl, son. Your mom and I like her.”

His dad’s approval meant the world to him. “Thanks, Dad. She means a lot to me.”

“That boy of yours has sure grown since we last saw him, Beau,” Ken said.

Beau smiled. “He’s like a weed. And boy can he eat. I’m surprised he’s not chubby. But he runs around too much, I guess. He keeps his momma busy.”

“He sure is cute,” Landon said. “And I’m surprised how easy he is to understand for how young he is. He’s not even quite two, right?”

“Not quite yet, but, yes, he’s quite a talker. I think having a big sister helps a lot. He’s always trying to boss her around.”

Landon laughed. “We need to get him on a horse tomorrow. Old Ben’ll be glad for the extra feed.”

“I plan on it. Micah’s quite a sight in his little Wranglers and boots. He even has a straw hat.”

Landon smiled at the pride in Beau’s voice.

“I’d like to let Johnathan ride too. Landon, can you help me with that?” Beau asked.

Johnathan had cerebral palsy, and Beau liked to have someone holding onto him while he rode. “Of course. I’ll stick around in the morning until everyone’s had their chance to ride. I assume Cat wants to go too?”

“Yep, but she wants to go riding with me on the pasture roads, so we’ll go last. I won’t need your help then.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he said.

Everyone finished their drinks, and the gathering began to break up. Carson and Haley were the first to take their young ones home.

Landon said, “I’m going to head out. I’ll see everyone in the morning.” He gave his mom a quick kiss on the cheek and waved goodbye to the rest.

When he arrived at his cabin, he glanced at the time. Natalie probably wasn’t quite home yet. He decided to go ahead and shower while he waited.

Afterwards, as he headed into the bedroom to get dressed, his phone rang. “Hey, beautiful. Are you home?”

“I sure am. Inside and safe. How did the rest of the evening go with your family?”

He heard a crackling noise and figured she had the phone crushed between her shoulder and her ear. Was she undressing? A thrill of desire went through him.

“It was nice. Carson, Beau, and I drank a beer on the porch, and all we talked about was you.”

“Seriously?”

He heard a soft thud, and then another, as she took off her shoes. “Seriously. They wanted the scoop on our relationship.”

“What did you say?”

He detected a slight note of anxiety in her voice. Was she worried that he didn’t have strong feelings for her?

“Let’s just say that they’re no longer in doubt as to how much I care about you.”

He heard her suck in a breath. “Really?”

“Oh yeah, honey. You shouldn’t either.”

“Okay. I won’t.”

He could tell she was smiling. There was a soft clank, and he figured she’d set the phone down for a moment.

When she came back, she said, “Okay, I have my sleepshirt on now. I can relax.”

“You do? What does it look like?” he asked, closing his eyes and trying to imagine her.

“It’s black and comes down to my knees, and across the chest in white it says, ‘I’ll start working when my coffee does.’”

He chuckled. “That’s cute. I’ll bet you look sexy in it.”

She laughed. “You think so?”

“Honey, you look sexy in everything you wear.”

She sighed. “God, I wish you were here.”

“I do too. This distance between us is a drag. Don’t get me wrong—I don’t mind driving to see you at all. You’re worth it. It’s just that we can’t plan a casual evening when we live this far apart. Especially when you work the hours you do.”

“My hours suck. You’re right. But I love my job.”

“Of course you do, and I wouldn’t have you change it.” He suddenly wondered what would happen if they got married. He’d never considered living anywhere else but the ranch, and he definitely wanted his children growing up here. Where did that leave Natalie? Would she be happy living on the ranch and commuting to Austin?

His heart fell. Suddenly he was unsure. Before they got more serious, they needed to talk about this.

“Natalie, I’ve had a terrible thought.” He paused, his mind whirling. What if she broke up with him?

“What? Tell me about it, Landon.” She sounded worried—and once he told her what he had to say, she’d probably be even more so.

He sighed loudly, then said, “I want to talk to you about something. Natalie, I have serious feelings for you.” He licked his lips, then went on. “I’ve never wanted to live anywhere but here on the ranch. It’s my home, it means the world to me, and I want my children to grow up here just like I did.”

When she didn’t say anything right away, he said, “What we just talked about, how you love your job so much, made me think about that. Honey, if we let our relationship continue to get more serious, if we fall in love and decide to get married, we’ll be faced with this problem. I don’t want to leave the ranch, and you love your job, which is nearly two hours away from here. I don’t want you to be unhappy, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to give up your career to marry me—”

She cut in, “Nobody could make me give up my career, Landon. And I think I’ve told you that I want a family too. I’ve seen the struggle working moms face, and I assumed I’d be forced to face that myself someday because it’s so hard to make ends meet as a single-income family.” She paused for a moment, and he heard her sigh. “Yes, I love my job, but if the choice is between my job and getting to stay home with my children, hands down I’ll choose to be a stay-at-home mom.”

Worry fled his heart, and he pressed the phone to his ear as if that brought him closer to her. “Oh honey, you don’t know how happy that makes me.”

“I’d love to have a garden just like your mom’s. I can get seeds from my grandparents and grow the traditional varieties of beans and squash and corn. We’ll have my parents down, and I’ll fix a traditional meal for them.”

The excitement in her voice melted his heart. “I’ll prepare the soil and till it for you, honey.”

She laughed. “Hey, we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren’t we?”

He chuckled. “It’s a good dream, though, huh?”

“It sure is.”

The muscles in his chest relaxed. He said, “I’m so glad we talked about this. I never want to hurt you.”

“Thank you for thinking of it. I’m happy we talked about it too.” After a pause, she went on, her voice soft, “Landon, you’re the sweetest man I’ve ever known. Let’s start calling each other more often, huh? I think of you so much during the day, and I miss you terribly in the evenings.”

“I’d like that. How about you call me in the daytime, though? I don’t want to bother you when you’re in the middle of something important. I can usually answer the phone. I keep it with me.” He smiled at the prospect of this new closeness with her.

“That’s perfect.”

He imagined her smiling right then and said, “Goodnight, beautiful. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I’ll pray that all goes well when your corporate people are there.”

“Night, handsome. I’ll keep you posted.”

He looked down and realized that he’d been talking to her naked. He grinned. It was a good thing she hadn’t asked what he was wearing.

After putting on his boxers, he shut out the lights in the cabin and climbed into bed. As he lay in the dark with his hands behind his head, he let himself dream of being married to Natalie until sleep overwhelmed him.