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] 📗

He doesn’t want you, Alice. Get a grip.

“Would you like any water?” she asked.

“Nah, darlin’, I’m good. Thank you, though.”

Ha! She remembered when darlin’, which Beau used as often as other folks said please and thank you, made her knees go weak. Especially since it was just last week. And maybe right now.

She cleared her throat. “Thanks for coming to Cowboy Story Time, guys! Today we have Beau Montgomery. He’s a real working cowboy from Rancho Cañada Verde. Let’s give him a big cowboy welcome!”

All the kids cheered, and Beau’s cheeks turned a bit pink. And even though she didn’t want to be, she was nervous for him and wanted him to do well.

“Howdy,” Beau said. “Before I get started, I have a secret. Do y’all want to hear it?”

The kids all screamed various versions of yes.

“My secret is that I don’t read very well,” Beau said.

Alice brought a hand to her heart. Oh, Beau . . .

Henry raised his hand. “But you’re a grown-up.”

“I know,” Beau said. “But I struggle with something called dyslexia, which makes it hard for me to read. And for a long time, I didn’t want anybody to know about it, because it’s kind of embarrassing, you know?”

The kids all nodded.

“But if any of you ever have trouble reading, or maybe with math or other things, it doesn’t mean you’re not smart. People are smart in all sorts of ways. You just need to ask for help. And sometimes the first person you ask, or even the second or third, won’t be able to help you. But you’ve got to keep asking until you get the right person. And do you want to know who my right person was?”

They all nodded their heads.

“Miss Alice,” Beau said.

The kids craned their necks to look at Alice, so she smiled. “It’s my job. I’ll help any old person, really.”

There was a snort, which probably came from Claire.

“Now then, who wants to hear the story of Beauty and the Beast?” Beau asked.

An unintelligible chorus rang out.

“I might need help as we go, so who wants to be my helper? I need a good reader at my side.”

Literally every little girl and several of the moms raised their hands, ready to volunteer. But Beau pointed at little Dalton Reed, JD’s young nephew, who’d really been blowing through books lately.

Dalton went to Beau’s side, and they shared a high-five.

Before Beau opened the book, he looked at Alice. Reading aloud, in front of an audience, was one of his biggest fears.

You’ve got this, Beau.

“Before I begin, let me tell you what the story is about. You’ve got a beast—a big old ugly thing—who’s under a spell. And there’s only one thing that can break it—”

“True love!” a little girl shouted.

“That’s right,” Beau said. “But the Beast doesn’t think he’s lovable. And he especially doesn’t think he can be loved by the smartest girl in the village, the one who reads books and likes going to museums and her special women’s group in Austin and whatnot.”

A women’s group in Austin? Dear God. He was talking about her. About them. At story time. In front of everyone. She shifted uncomfortably as a few folks glanced her way with knowing smiles.

“But,” Beau said. “The Beast loved the girl. He’d always loved her, and—”

“That’s not how the story goes,” a little girl said. “You’re telling it wrong.”

“Oh, am I?” Beau said. “I guess we’d better use the book then.” He cleared his throat loudly and said, “Once upon a time . . .”

It was a really short version of the story, geared for little ones, and Beau got through it with no trouble at all. He consulted Dalton a couple of times anyway, seemingly for Dalton’s sake, and the little boy beamed with pride.

When he closed the book and reached for another, Claire stood up. “I’ll read the next one. You go grovel.”

Alice was so confused. If Beau wanted to be with her, why had he left her all alone at midnight?

Beau looked around Alice’s office, which was messier than usual. It seemed she’d started a million different projects, and hadn’t finished any of them.

Alice Martin was not herself. And he understood, because he hadn’t been himself for the past week, either. “I see you received the roses,” he said.

“How did you know about those?”

“They’re from me, Allie. Who did you think sent them?”

Alice stared at him, mouth agape, before finally answering. “I assumed they were from my father, because he sent me a rose in high school once, and he signed the card from your Secret Admirer—”

“No, darlin’,” Beau said. “That was me.”

Alice wrinkled her brow. “No, because you would have only been—”

“Thirteen,” Beau said. “I was content to admire you from afar, because, well I was a kid. But then I grew into a man. And I was still your admirer, but I didn’t think you could ever be interested in a simple, homespun, small-town cowboy like me. Not until we struck our deal, anyway.”

“But you left me at the wedding . . .”

He took her hands. “I heard that you’d accepted a job offer in Austin and hadn’t even told me.”

“I didn’t accept it. By the time they offered, I’d already made up my mind.”

“I didn’t know that. And I was hurt, Allie. I thought you didn’t care about me at all, and that maybe I was the one who was bad at reading people. And that’s why we need to talk it out. Right here. Right now.”

“Okay—”

“Alice, I love you.”

Alice stepped back, bumping into the desk and nearly knocking the roses over. Her pulse beat frantically at the base of her throat, and he could feel her fingers trembling. But she didn’t say a word.

“I thought maybe I was just something to mark off your bucket list.”

That did it. Her eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Beau . . .”

He took a risk and pulled her close. “It’s just you, Allie. You’re the only woman I want. And I am so