A Real Cowboy Loves Forever (Wyoming Rebels Book 5)

  A Real Cowboy Loves Forever

  A Wyoming Rebels Novel

  Stephanie Rowe

  SBD Press

  Contents

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Sneak Peek: A Real Cowboy Never Walks Away

  Sneak Peek: Her Rebel Cowboy (Rodeo Knights, A Western Romance)

  Sneak Peek: Irresistibly Mine

  Books By Stephanie Rowe

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright

  A Real Cowboy Loves Forever (a Wyoming Rebels novel). Copyright © 2017 by Stephanie Rowe.

  ISBN 10: 1-940968-54-2;

  ISBN 13: 978-1-940968-54-4.

  Cover design © 2017 by Kelli Ann Morgan, Inspire Creative Services.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, disseminated, or transmitted in any form or by any means or for any use, including recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the author and/or the artist. The only exception is short excerpts or the cover image in reviews. Please be a leading force in respecting the right of authors and artists to protect their work. This is a work of fiction. All the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel or on the cover are either products of the author’s or artist's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author or the artist. There are excerpts from other books by the author in the back of the book.

  Chapter 1

  There were days when Maddox Stockton felt there wasn't enough water in the world to wash off the filth caked on his soul.

  Today was one of them.

  He stood on the front steps of the Rogue Valley sheriff's office, staring grimly out at the blowing snow. It was cold, even for a guy like him who didn't bother to feel much of anything these days.

  The door closed behind him, but he didn't turn as the local sheriff, Dane Wilson, walked out and stood beside him. "You sure you don't want to crash at my place, Maddox? It's going to be a hell of a drive."

  "No. I need to get back." But Maddox didn't move. He just stood there, letting the bitter Wyoming wind knife through him, welcoming the way it bit through his jeans like a she-devil out to savage him. Cold was better than feeling nothing, which was how he went through most of his days. The days when he did feel? Hate, guilt, and a whole shitload of other emotions that served no one.

  Dane shoved his hands in his pockets, standing beside Maddox as they watched the wind whip the snow around. The only two trucks left on the street were theirs, just like when they were teenagers. Just like back then, tonight they were the only two in town who had nowhere to go. Just him and Dane. All that was left of the kids who had once thought their darkness wasn't forever.

  They'd been wrong. The darkness was forever, and it was their own souls that kept it alive.

  "Always another bad guy to track down, eh?" Dane mused.

  Maddox shrugged. "Who can give up on a childhood dream come true?"

  Dane laughed. "Yeah, because every little boy's dream is to become a bounty hunter who spends his days with scumbags who would be happy to shoot you between the eyes if it kept them from going back to jail."

  Maddox cocked an eyebrow at his longtime friend, the only person in the entire world besides his brothers, who he considered worth trusting. "As said by the man whose desk is next to a jail cell."

  Dane shrugged. "This is Rogue Valley. Not much bad shit happens here anymore since—"

  He cut himself off, but Maddox knew what he was going to say. "Since my bastard dad died, right? It's been like a damned oasis since he spared the world his presence."

  "I was going to say, since the Stockton brothers grew up and became somewhat respectable."

  Maddox laughed at that one. "You know damn well that only Travis, Zane, Chase, and Steen have become respectable, and that's only because they were lucky enough to find women who were so loyal and amazing that my brothers couldn't walk away."

  Dane cocked an eyebrow at him. "You sound jealous."

  Maddox took a deep breath and flexed his hands. "No jealousy. I'm happy for them. I didn't think there was any chance that anyone with the last name of Stockton could ever be happy, but I'm glad I was wrong. I'm glad that they're getting a chance to live the life they deserve."

  Dane turned to look at him. "You don't want it, too? I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I'm jealous as hell at what they have."

  Maddox met his gaze. "Don't waste your energy, bro. Neither of us can ever get that close to someone like their women. The poison inside of us will eat away at anything good that tries to come near us, until there's nothing left of the light that used to exist. We'll kill the light, Dane. You know it."

  "What are you, a poet?" But Dane didn't argue.

  Because Maddox was right.

  The two men stood there for a few more minutes, letting the frigid wind slice into them, before Dane finally sighed. "I'm going to head out." He glanced at Maddox. "Always good to see you when you're in town, bro. Make sure you stop by next time."

  There was an edge to Dane's voice that drew Maddox's attention. He narrowed his eyes, studying his friend. "What's wrong?"

  Dane hesitated, and Maddox suddenly tensed, realizing that something was going on with his friend. "What's up?"

  But Dane simply shook his head. "Nothing."

  "Lie."

  "Yep." Dane didn't bother to deny the accusation, because they knew each other too well to be able to lie to one another. But he also didn't expand on it. "Drive safe, my friend. There are too many bad guys left in this world for you to kick the bucket just yet."

  Maddox grinned. "You got it. Catch you later." He followed Dane down the snow-covered front steps, turning right to head to his truck, which was parked down by the corner. He pulled his cowboy hat low over his head, his boots kicking through the snow as he walked. He knew it was going to be a hellish drive, and he should've left earlier. But it had felt good to chill with Dane, and take an hour to forget who he was and the legacy he carried with him. Besides, he was heading south, away from the storm. As long as he got out of the area before it hit hard, he'd be fine.

  He reached the corner, and his truck chirped as he unlocked it. But just as he was reaching for the driver's door, the warm glow of lights from way down at the end of the street caught his attention. He frowned, counting the storefronts, then scowled when he realized it was the café belonging to Lissa, the fiancée of his brother, Travis.

  Why was she still at work? He knew Travis was out of town to play a benefit concert back East, which meant he wasn't around either to drive Lissa back to their place, or to make her go home before the weather got impassable.

  Maddox thought grimly of the long ride in front of him, but even as he ground his jaw at the thought of driving in heavy snow by delaying his departure any longer, he didn't hesitate as he slammed his door shut.

  There was no c
hance he was going to drive away until he knew Lissa was safe.

  Scowling, he shoved his hands in the pockets of his heavy coat, slogging through the snow as he strode down the sidewalk. The town center was empty, completely abandoned, because even the hardy Wyoming residents were hunkering down before the storm hit.

  But as he walked, an SUV towing a rental trailer pulled up in front of the café, making him groan. If someone walked into the café needing a meal, it would be almost impossible for him to pry Lissa out of the kitchen. He swore under his breath, but he didn't slow down. If he had to be a complete ass and kick the customer out the door with an empty stomach so that he could make sure Lissa shut down and got out the door safely, then he was fine with that.

  People thinking he was a classless bastard was nothing new to him, and he had long since stopped giving a shit what anyone thought.

  Besides, what was the point in fighting it?

  They were right.

  Chapter 2

  The café was open.

  Tears filled Hannah Crowley's eyes as she quickly pulled her SUV up to the curb. The moment she had the car in park, she put her head down against the steering wheel and closed her eyes, trying to keep her emotions in check. Relief rushed through her, deep, penetrating relief. There was someone who she could ask for help.

  She wanted to cry with relief, frustration, and grief, but as she had so many times over the last six months, she simply scrunched her eyes shut, and fought back the emotions. She was so exhausted that it took a moment longer than usual, long enough that she knew she was at the very end of her ability to cope.

  But being at the very end meant she still had a thread to hang onto, so after a moment, she took a deep breath, plastered a smile on her face and lifted her head. She looked over her shoulder, expecting to see a peacefully sleeping child, but instead she was met with the solemn stare of the little girl who had become her daughter six months ago, in a grief-filled transition from niece to daughter. Those blue eyes were exactly the same as Hannah's sister, Katie, had had. Every time Hannah looked at little Ava, she saw Katie staring out of those eyes. Dear, precious Katie, who would never see her daughter grow up.

  Hannah managed to smile, not a half smile, but a broad, genuine smile, the only kind that ever seemed to bring a smile to the face of the little girl who had once been so happy. "Good news, pumpkin. The café is open. We'll grab a bite to eat while I get directions, and then we'll be at our new place before the storm hits. Ready for our first venture into our new town?"

  Ava nodded, but she said nothing, remaining silent, just as she had every day since Katie had died. Her blue eyes were wide, fixed on Hannah, as if she were afraid that if she looked away, Hannah would disappear.

  Hannah's heart tightened, because she knew what it felt like to be afraid that the one adult in her life would disappear, and it made her want to cry to think of Ava being burdened by the same fear that she and Katie had grown up with, fear that had become a grim reality when they were teenagers. "I promise you, baby, it's all going to be okay now. It's you and me, and we're warriors. Got it?"

  A tiny smile curved the corner of Ava's mouth, and she nodded again. She held up three fingers in a "W," and Hannah did the same.

  Hannah reached back and unhooked the car seat that Ava had almost grown out of, and the little girl quickly climbed into the front seat and settled on Hannah's lap, wrapping her arms around Hannah's neck. Hannah squeezed her tightly, pulled a pink stocking cap down over Ava's head, and then climbed out.

  The wind was vicious, ripping the breath out of her lungs. Hannah coughed, trying to catch her breath as Ava buried her face in Hannah's shoulder. Holding the little girl close, Hannah hurried through the driving snow toward the storefront.

  Hannah caught a glimpse of tables and chairs set up in a cozy warm environment as she approached, but there was no one inside. For a split-second, dread raced through her. What if someone had simply left the light on and gone home? What if there was no one there?

  Fear gripped her. What would she do? She'd been driving around for over an hour, and aside from the café with its lights on, she hadn't seen anyone else around, nobody who could tell her how to get to her destination. There didn't appear to be any hotels, at least that she had found, and her cell phone had no reception. If she were alone, it would be bad enough, but there was no way she could weather the oncoming blizzard in a car with a four-year-old. Whispering a little prayer under her breath, she leaned her shoulder into the glass door and pushed.

  The door opened easily, and she almost cried with relief as she stumbled into the warm interior. Tiny bells suspended from the hinge jingled, announcing her presence. Almost immediately a woman called out from the kitchen. "Hello?"

  Someone was there! "Hi!" Hannah walked forward, careful not to slip on the weather-beaten wood floor. "Are you open?"

  "For a woman in need? Always." The swinging door to the kitchen opened, and out walked a woman with brown hair in a ponytail, jeans, and a Wildflower Café sweatshirt. She gave Hannah and Ava a smile so warm and inviting that fresh tears surged in her eyes. Hannah quickly blinked them back, embarrassed by the show of emotion. Since when did she need a friendly face? She didn't. She had long ago learned to be self-reliant.

  It was just that she was so exhausted, and in a tight spot. Yes, that was it. She didn't need a friendly face. She just needed a little bit of guidance. "I'm new in town, and I'm having trouble finding the house I rented. My GPS doesn't work because I can't get cell service, and I was hoping maybe you could give me directions." As she spoke Ava nestled her head more tightly against Hannah's shoulder, not even looking at the woman. Ava had once been the most gregarious and effervescent little girl, and it broke Hannah's heart to see how she hid her face.

  "Yes, there's only one service provider that gets cell service around here. It's a hassle to out-of-towners passing through." The woman patted the deli counter. "Come sit. I'll whip you up something to eat. My name is Lissa McIntyre." She smiled at Ava. "What's your name? Are you hungry? Maybe a grilled cheese or some mac and cheese?"

  Ava didn't lift her head from Hannah's shoulder as she sank down on the stool. "My name is Hannah Crowley and this is Ava. She would love some macaroni and cheese, and I'll take anything you have in the fridge. A sandwich, or salad, or anything you have left over. There's no need for you to go to any trouble."

  "It's no trouble at all." Lissa grabbed two glasses and began to fill them with water. "What's the address of the place you're looking for?"

  Hannah recited the address from memory, and didn't miss the flicker of alarm on Lissa's face. "What? What's wrong?"

  "You're planning to go there tonight?"

  Hannah nodded. "I have a one-year lease. You know where it is?"

  "Yes." Lissa set the glasses in front of them. "It's been empty for almost three years. Are you sure that the heat and electricity are on? Have you seen it? I don't even know if all the windows still have glass in them. Plus, the driveway's almost a mile long. You'll be stranded there for at least a week if the storm is as bad as they're saying it's going to be."

  Exhaustion surged back over Hannah again, but she lifted her chin. "I have plenty of food. Flashlights. Batteries. Blankets. We'll be fine. The real estate agent I rented it from promised me that it was all set to move into. He said he would turn the heat on, and that there's a generator even. I think we'll be fine, if we can just get there before the storm hits."

  Lissa folded her arms over her chest. "I don't think you should go there."

  Hannah sighed. "I don't have anywhere else to go."

  Lissa frowned. "I have an apartment upstairs, but it's currently being renovated, or I'd invite you to crash there."

  Hannah was touched by the offer, but she shook her head. "It's no problem. I really want to get settled anyway. If you can just give me directions—"

  "I know!" Lissa's face lit up. "Come home with me. We have plenty of space in our house. You can crash there until the storm
is over, and then I'll take you to your place."

  "You'd let us stay with you?" Hannah gaped at her, stunned by the offer. She could tell from Lissa's expression that she was completely serious. "You don't even know me. Why would you invite me to stay at your house?"

  Lissa looked surprised. "Because you have a little girl, and you guys need to be taken care of. Why on earth would I even consider letting you go to the old Anderson place on a night like this? Of course I would make sure you were safe."

  Hannah stared at her, still not understanding.

  Lissa sighed and softened her voice. "When I first moved to town, I never would've made it if the woman who owned this café hadn't looked out for me. And now, I'm the owner of this café, and there's a woman with a little girl, who has just moved to town, who needs help. Ten years ago, I was you, sitting on that stool, only I was seventeen, broke, alone, and pregnant. I know what you're feeling right now, because I've been there. The very last thing I would ever do is abandon you. We're not strangers, Hannah. We're sisters."

  Tears filled Hannah's eyes, and she had to look away as memories of her sister came flooding back. Katie would've taken care of strangers just like Lissa was. Their childhood had made Katie into someone kind, with a huge heart, who needed to take care of the world, the way no one had taken care of them. That same childhood had made Hannah unable to reach out to anybody except her mother and her sister, the only two people in the world she trusted, and they were both gone now. She managed a small smile. "My sister would've loved you." The words slipped out before she knew what she was saying, and she merely bit her lip, knowing she would never be able to keep it together if Lissa asked any questions about Katie.