Must Love Cowboys: This steamy and heart-warming cowboy rom-com is a must-read! (Once Upon A Time In, Carly Bloom [pocket ebook reader .TXT] 📗

The dang animals had ended up along the highway, and Deputy Bobby Flores had been forced to stop traffic—two pickups, a minivan, and a silver Lexus—until the cattle could be secured.

Two old farmers were in the pickups, and they’d happily gotten out and contributed to the confusion by chasing the cattle across the road and onto the wrong property. Bubba Larson had been driving the minivan, and he and his four kids had joined in the fray, chasing the animals even farther in the opposite direction. Anna Vasquez, Big Verde’s one and only former debutante, put the cherry on top by laying angrily on her Lexus’s horn.

Beau had finally managed to get the cattle back across the river, but he still had to run them up to the east pasture so he could close them in. They wouldn’t be able to graze along the river anymore, where the grass was lush and green. He’d have to talk to Ford, because they needed access to every blade of grass they could get.

“Thank you, folks,” he said to the so-called helpers. “Things would have been different if you fellas hadn’t come along.”

Faster. Easier.

The two old geezers tipped their hats, spit tobacco on the ground, and took their sweet-ass time heading back to their trucks. Anna honked again, which resulted in everything slowing down even more, because that’s what honking always did. One of the farmers stopped walking to his truck to meander over to Anna to see what she wanted.

“Well,” Bubba Larson said. “I guess me and the kids have done our good deed for the day.”

Bubba’s kids were splashing in the Rio Verde—fully clothed—and the racket was deterring one curious heifer who seemed to be considering making another run for the border. So maybe they’d helped a bit after all.

“Thanks, Bubba.”

Bobby let out a quick blast of his siren, which caused the cows to start running back up the hill toward the pasture, including the renegade who’d been eyeing the river. All Beau would have to do was follow them through the gate. He waved at Bobby as he drove away, going around Anna, who was now trying to convince the farmer she was fine and just wanted him to move.

Beau looked at his watch. “Dammit.” He was supposed to meet Alice in ten minutes. Since Bryce was at the Rockin’ H for the weekend, he’d asked Allie if she wanted to come out to the ranch. He’d hoped to tidy up the cabin before she got there, but that wasn’t going to happen. There was no way in hell that he was even going to get there before her.

“Got a hot date?” Bubba asked.

“No,” Beau said. But then he remembered the local gossip. “I mean, yep.”

As the day had worn on, he’d become less excited about seeing Alice tonight. And it had nothing to do with her—she was actually pretty cool—and everything to do with the hard work of trying to read. On Wednesday, they’d looked at the ranching software program, and he’d become frustrated.

Maybe tonight would go better.

“You don’t look too excited, considering you and Alice just started dating.”

“Where’d you hear about me and Alice?”

“Trista heard it from my mom,” Bubba said. “And since the Corner Café is the official center of misinformation for Big Verde, I’d say at most, there’s a fifty percent chance you’re dating Alice, and a fifty percent chance you’re not, and a fifty percent chance you are but it’s not what it looks like.”

“That’s one hundred and fifty percent, Bubba,” Beau said.

“I know that. I can add.”

He studied Bubba’s confused expression and decided it wasn’t worth it. What mattered was that even Bubba was suspicious about his and Alice’s “relationship.” He knew with certainty that Claire was also suspicious, and probably Maggie, too. Carmen had seemed pretty gung-ho, though.

“Have you ever had an actual girlfriend before?” Bubba asked.

“I’ve dated lots of women.”

“Uh huh. When’s Alice’s birthday?”

“February third.” In seventh grade he’d sent her a birthday card. He’d remembered the date ever since.

“Huh,” Bubba said. “That’s mighty impressive.”

“When is Trista’s?”

“It’s April twenty-second,” he said. And then he scratched his head. “Or the twenty-third. Anyway, you know what I mean. You’ve never really had a girlfriend. You’ve just had dates. There’s a difference.”

Beau was well aware of the difference. “Thanks for helping with the cattle. I’ve got to run now—”

“We’re all fond of Alice,” Bubba said. “Don’t do her dirty, Beau.”

Point taken.

“I’ll do my best to be the man she deserves.” Beau tipped his hat. “Thanks again.”

He trotted off after the cows, leaving Bubba to gather his frolicking kids out of the Rio Verde. He’d never be the man Alice deserved. Someday, she’d end up with an educated man. Maybe a college professor or a lawyer.

Not a cowboy who could barely read.

He followed the cattle to the east pasture and closed the gate behind them. There wasn’t much grass for them to chew on, but at least there was a well and a water trough. He’d have Worth set out some hay bales. The girls would make do.

With the river as low as it was, there were water restrictions in place. They couldn’t irrigate using the Rio Verde, and that was why moving some of the herd to the Rockin’ H was smart. He just wished it didn’t mean losing his brother. He pulled out his phone to call Alice and tell her he was running late and she could go on in. They never locked the door.

He searched through his contacts—twice—and realized he didn’t have her number.

With a sigh, he leaned forward in his saddle and galloped along the fence line of the east pasture. He slowed to a trot as they went over the low-water crossing, which was dry as a bone, at Wailing Woman Creek. He rode another mile until they came to a fork in the road. To the right sat the foreman’s cabin. The gate was open, and there were fresh tire tracks.

He and Sofie,