Courted by the Cowboy Read online

  His brothers—minus Archer—their wives and his cousins from Montana would all be there. Ryder’s wife, Annabeth, was getting close to delivering their twins so there weren’t a lot of nights out in their future. Annabeth wasn’t really up to dancing, but he suspected Ryder and their young son, Cody, were trying to cheer her up. She’d been pretty uncomfortable the last few weeks.

  Knowing he’d see Kylee was an added incentive. She was a prickly little thing, someone he didn’t understand—yet. But that hadn’t stopped him from thinking about her throughout the week or hoping he’d see her when she checked in on Chance.

  “Eye’s lookin’ better,” Cutter greeted him as he walked into the bar.

  “Thanks. Feelin’ a bit better, too.” Fisher smiled.

  “Here’s hoping this weekend is downright uneventful,” Cutter laughed.

  “No arguments from me,” Fisher agreed, heading through the open doors and into the dance hall in back.

  Most of his family was there already, crowded together around two tables. They smiled, waving him over.

  “What happened to you?” Renata, his twin sister, was on her feet. “And why didn’t I know about it?” She frowned at her brothers.

  “Nothing to tell, really.” Fisher hugged her.

  “Way I hear it, he took one in the eye for Archer.” Ryder, the youngest Boone, grinned.

  “First his roommate, now his stunt double,” his cousin Tandy said, wincing and shaking her head. “Archer owes you big time, cuz.”

  “I’m with Tandy. Being the oldest means I have to look out for all of you, but—” his big brother, Hunter, pointed at Fisher’s eye “—taking a punch to the face for Archer is going above and beyond brotherly duty.” Hunter grinned. “I’m betting Archer didn’t shoulder much guilt over it. Or is he coming to buy you a thank-you beer later?”

  “Nope,” Ryder shook his head. “He bowed out, something about some new something-or-other at the refuge needing his attention.”

  “He needs a girlfriend,” Renata sighed.

  Fisher, Ryder and Hunter burst out laughing.

  “Hey, Fish— Your face!” Annabeth, Ryder’s very pregnant wife arrived, almost dropping the pitcher of water she carried.

  “He’s fine, princess.” Ryder stood and pulled a chair back for her. “Don’t get yourself all worked up.”

  Annabeth rolled her eyes.

  “What are we laughing over?” Josie, Hunter’s wife, joined in. “I’m assuming it’s not Fisher’s face?”

  “Sort of.” Hunter kissed his wife’s cheek.

  “I was just saying Archer might benefit from the company of a lady friend,” Renata offered.

  “What about the new bartender?” Annabeth asked. “She’s gorgeous.”

  “She is, at that.” Toben, his cousin and Tandy’s twin, tipped his beer bottle at the bar. “I don’t think Archer could handle that one.”

  “Kylee and Archer? As a couple?” Fisher asked before he could stop himself. He didn’t like the way Toben was looking at her. He heard the shock in his voice, and so did everyone else around the table. He didn’t miss the grins the women exchanged.

  “Kylee, huh?” Hunter piped up, hiding his smile behind his beer.

  Ryder was looking at him wide-eyed. “Huh,” he murmured before craning his neck to see the bar at the back of the room. “Where is she?”

  “Working at the back bar,” Annabeth answered. “Long black hair. Biggest blue eyes. Other than yours, of course.” She grabbed Ryder’s chin and pressed a kiss to his lips.

  Fisher watched, seeing the satisfied smile on his little brother’s face. His brother, the player...he never thought he’d see his brother so happily settled, but then Fisher had never had a woman look at him the way Annabeth was looking at Ryder. “Guess I’ll get a beer,” he mumbled, pushing himself up from his chair.

  Which led to a few giggles from the women.

  He didn’t respond as he made his way across the dance hall, smiling and exchanging pleasantries as he went.

  Kylee didn’t see him, she was busy filling mugs and popping tops off beer bottles. Cutter didn’t serve hard liquor when the dance hall was open—only beer, water and soda. Cutter said it kept things from getting out of control and was more family friendly.

  “What can I—?” She paused, her gaze meeting his. She caught sight of his face and wrinkled her nose.

  “Evening, Kylee,” he said, smiling.

  “Doc.” She nodded. “How’s the dog?”

  “Getting stronger. Jarvis said you’ve stopped by a couple of times. Sorry I missed you.” He smiled. “You should come see him again. Nothing perks a fella’s spirits up like a visit from a pretty lady.”

  Her eyes narrowed.

  He held his hands up. “He told me to say that.”

  “He? As in, the dog?” Kylee asked, smiling even though he could tell she tried like hell not to.

  “Yep.” He nodded. “The dog.”

  “Good to know he’s feeling well enough to talk.” She shook her head, looking uncomfortable as she murmured, “Thank you for looking after him.” She was pretty when she blushed. Who was he kidding? She was pretty all the time. Especially when she wasn’t frowning at him.

  “Hey, lady, can we get a beer?” someone called from the other end of the bar.

  “Cutter got you workin’ alone?” he asked.

  “Joni called in sick.” Kylee shrugged. “Meaning her boyfriend is in town. Bobby’s coming in about an hour.” And with that, she went back to work.

  “How’d I know I’d find you here?” Jarvis asked, sitting on one of the bar stools. “You should know, your whole family is watching.”

  “More reason to stay here.” He sighed.

  “Fisher,” Kylee called out, sliding his preferred beer down the bar toward him.

  He grabbed the bottle—even though he hadn’t told her what he wanted. He shouldn’t read too much into it. She was a good bartender and he’d been a regular customer. That’s all. A bartender who was working...so he should leave her alone and stop giving his family a reason to talk.

  “Feel free to join me.” He pointed to his family. “My cousins are new in town. I can introduce you to Tandy, if you promise to behave.”

  “Making no promises,” Jarvis said.

  Fisher took his beer, trying to dodge a group of kids—his nephew Eli, Hunter’s son, included—and stepped back, bumping into something. He turned to find a boy bent over, collecting papers and shoving them into a notebook.

  “Sorry, mister,” the boy murmured, looking up at him.

  “No problem.” He stooped beside the boy, picking up several papers. The boy liked horses; he’d drawn a lot of them. One in particular caught Fisher’s eye.

  “I’ll meet you over there,” Jarvis said, leaving him for his very blonde, very pretty cousin.

  Fisher nodded, still inspecting the sketch. “Did you draw these?”

  The kid nodded, thick black hair flopping onto his forehead.

  “These are really great.” Something about the kid was familiar. “Having fun?”

  The boy’s smile was small, almost nervous, as his clear blue gaze met Fisher’s. “Yeah, I guess.”

  He helped the boy pick everything up before offering the boy his hand. “Fisher Boone.”

  The boy’s eyes went round. “You’re Doc Fisher?” The boy looked him up and down.

  “Hey, Uncle Fisher,” Eli showed up. “Hey, Shawn.”

  “Hey, yourself.” Fisher grinned at his nephew, then glanced back at the boy. “And who are you?”

  “He’s Shawn, Kylee’s brother,” Eli offered up.

  Shawn nodded in the direction of the bar. “The crazy dog-lady bartender. That’s my sister.”

  Kylee had a little broth
er? It was obvious now. They both had black hair and blue eyes—and they both seemed nervous, wound too tight. What they were nervous about, he had no idea. Knowing she had a younger brother here with her was a surprise. Were they on their own? Shawn couldn’t be that much older than Eli. He had the gangly height and loose limbs of a boy on the cusp of manhood. Where were their parents?

  “Nice to meet you,” Fisher said, glancing at Kylee. She worked with quick efficiency, at ease behind the bar. She was a puzzle, a beautiful puzzle. Meeting Shawn tonight reminded him there was a lot he didn’t know about her—a lot he wanted to know. “You’ve got a pretty cool sister,” he added.

  Shawn nodded.

  “Your face looks like it hurts, Uncle Fisher,” Eli said, shaking his head.

  “You should see the other guy,” Fisher teased.

  “Kylee said you knocked him out with one punch.” Shawn seemed impressed.

  Fisher’s gaze returned to Kylee. So she’d told her brother. And while he didn’t want Shawn to think fighting was a good thing, he couldn’t deny it pleased him to know she had mentioned him to Shawn. She looked up then, her gaze searching the dance hall until she found Shawn. Fisher could see her relief from where he stood. Once more he pondered what would make her so anxious, almost like she was running from something. Or someone.

  Her blue gaze met his. He lifted an eyebrow, pointing at Shawn with a grin. She smiled and it almost brought him to his knees. It was a real smile, given freely and withholding nothing. She loved her little brother with everything she had. And damn if he wouldn’t give everything to have her smiling over him like that.

  “Fisher?” Eli waved a hand in front his face. “Fisher?”

  He forced his attention from the beauty behind the bar. “What’s up?”

  “What was the fight over?” Eli asked.

  Fisher shook his head. “George Carson was upset and I was the one he decided to take it out on.”

  “His mistake.” Shawn was looking at him with the same intensity Kylee had. “Sounds like a hothead.”

  Fisher nodded, wondering how many hotheads were in Kylee and Shawn’s past.

  “Come on.” Eli pushed Shawn’s shoulder. “You can draw later.”

  Shawn shoved his sketchbook into the worn canvas bag slung over his shoulder. “Okay.”

  “Y’all have fun.” Fisher smiled. “But stay out of trouble.”

  “Yes, sir,” Eli said. Shawn nodded, giving his sister a quick wave. Fisher glanced back at Kylee, catching sight of her sweet smile again. When she smiled like that, he couldn’t do a thing but stare at her.

  Renata joined him. “Looks like Archer’s out of luck,” she murmured.

  Fisher frowned at his sister. “Aw, come on, Renata—”

  “You might as well stop now. I know you, baby brother. You’re done for.” She was born three minutes before he was and loved to use her “seniority” when able. She patted his arm. “And if you keep looking at her like that, everyone’s going to know it. You’ve never had much of a poker face.”

  Chapter Three

  Fisher dropped to his knees in the parking lot of the vet school, keeping well away from the edge of the beat-up Jeep. A growl greeted him. His gaze met that of the very angry, very disoriented bobcat crouched smack-dab in the middle under the Jeep. Dammit.

  “He’s in the middle,” Fisher announced, seeing two pairs of vet students’ feet—too far back to do much good. He knew these kids were scared, and he didn’t blame them. But if this was going to be their job they needed to learn how to handle difficult situations with hostile animals. Technically, it was a pretty sweet training opportunity. This was one of the reasons he loved his job—he liked a little danger now and then. As long as everything turned out right in the end. Just now, they needed to help this animal. The bobcat was breathing hard, clearly in distress.

  “I need the catch pole,” Fisher called out, but the students’ feet didn’t move.

  The cat looked around nervously.

  “Now,” he spoke again, trying to keep things calm. If they didn’t get the animal lassoed, it would end up running onto the highway. He didn’t want to see that happen.

  The vet students’ feet moved, both of them.

  “One of you needs to stay there,” he spoke again while mentally cursing the situation. Where was Archer? He could use some experienced backup on this one—just in case.

  The cat’s ears perked up as it looked at him.

  Fisher smiled. “Don’t suppose you’d let me take you inside? So we can get you fixed up?”

  The cat lay down, still panting.

  “Here, Dr. Boone.” The vet student handed down the catch pole.

  “Nope, get on your knees and see what we’re doing.” Fisher didn’t take his eyes off the cat. Bobcats were fast.

  “But—”

  “What’s your name?” Fisher asked.

  “Michelle,” she said.

  “Well, Michelle, I can see it. And it needs help.” He paused. “That’s your job, right?”

  A few seconds later Michelle was on her knees beside him. “It’s gorgeous.”

  “It is. But remember it’s also a pissed off wild animal with a nasty set of claws and teeth. I wouldn’t get all warm and fuzzy over it.” Fisher knew all too well the havoc a bobcat could wreak on a farm. A few years back, he’d spent the better part of an afternoon cleaning up what remained of the family chicken coop after a bobcat’s visit. It hadn’t been pretty. “You need to get the pole in front of it. Keep it flat, slide it in—”

  He kept his voice low and even, for the cat and Michelle. When it came time to catch the cat, he took the pole. He was quick, flipping the loop over the cat’s head and snugging the loop before the animal could react. When it realized it was caught, the bobcat dug in, the growl deafening.

  “Tranquilizer?” Fisher asked.

  “Jake has it.” Fisher could hear the awe and fear in Michelle’s voice as the bobcat thrashed around.

  Fisher sighed. “Maybe now would be a good time for him to use it?” This was ridiculous. “Before it makes its injuries worse?”

  “Jake,” Michelle called out. “Now. Sedate him.”

  Jake flopped down on his stomach on the other side of the vehicle. Fisher pulled the noose just tight enough to keep the animal still so Jake could get a solid shot from the tranq gun, praying the kid knew how to aim. A minute later the bobcat was unconscious, completely limp.

  “I’ll get a gurney,” Michelle offered, hurrying in to the hospital.

  “Sorry, man,” Jake murmured, joining Fisher. “Guess I sort of panicked.”

  “In a situation like this, you’ve got to focus and stay calm.” Fisher needed Jake to understand how serious things were. “You’ve got a highway, pedestrians, a tranq gun—a lot of variables in an uncontrolled environment. You have to act quickly—carefully.”

  Jake’s shoulder drooped.

  “Good shot, though,” Fisher added.

  Jake nodded.

  The two of them pulled the forty-plus-pound animal from under the Jeep and onto the sidewalk, out of harm’s way. Fisher rubbed the cat’s head, checking its pupils before running his hands along its muscular side. The cat’s right back leg hung at an awkward angle.

  “Fracture. Possibly oblique, maybe transverse. We’ll know soon,” he murmured.

  “Pretty lucky, considering.” Jake knelt beside him.

  Fisher nodded. “So was the woman who was driving.”

  Why the woman decided to put the bobcat into the Jeep with her after she’d hit it, he’d never know. Sure, she did a good thing by bringing it to the hospital. But she’d also endangered herself by handling a wild animal. She’d loaded it into her Jeep while it was too stunned to react. But when it did come round, the bobcat wasn’t too
thrilled about being trapped. The woman was going to need stitches the length of her forearm as well as on her thigh and the side of her hand. The bobcat was probably looking at some pins and a plate in his leg.

  Michelle arrived, pushing the metal gurney in front of her. “Sorry. Couldn’t find one big enough.”

  Fisher stood, scooping the bobcat up and placing it on the gurney. “No problem. Long as we get him into a cage before he wakes up again.” He ran his hands over the bobcat, careful of the broken leg. “Did you page Dr. Archer?”

  Michelle paused. “No.”

  “I will.” Jake finished making notes on his tablet and started to go, but Fisher stopped him.

  “How about you two get the cat secured first.” He shot a meaningful look at Jake. Something about fourth-year vet students. They got all competitive. “Then call Dr. Archer to present the case—together.”

  Jake looked irritated, but he nodded and helped Michelle push the gurney inside.

  He followed behind the two, making a few notes on his tablet. When he entered the hospital he was hit with a chorus of barking. It was vaccination day. The community clinic in the teaching hospital offered a low-cost vaccination clinic once a month. Cats in the morning and dogs in the afternoon. He glanced at his watch. It was almost four. From the looks of the lobby, they were behind.

  “Hey, Dr. Fisher,” Shawn’s voice caught him off guard. “Kylee said Chance wanted to see us so we brought him a toy.” The boy held up a large rawhide twist.

  He smiled at Shawn. “Good to see you, Shawn. Chance’s gonna be one happy dog.” His eyes swept the room until he found Kylee. She stood off to the side, arms crossed, posture rigid. Like him, she was inspecting the room—but she wasn’t looking for him. He didn’t know what she was looking for, but it was obvious she wasn’t comfortable being there. He and Shawn joined her. “Hi.”

  “Hi,” she murmured, hardly acknowledging him.

  “What?” he teased, cupping his ear.

  She looked at him, her eyes so blue they took his breath away. “I said hi.”

  “What?” he repeated, loudly. “Wait.” He waved them through the doors that separated the lobby from the exam rooms and specialty wings. “Hi.”