Cowboy Outlaw Read online

  Cowboy Outlaw

  Cowboy Confidential, Volume 5

  Lori Wilde and Kristin Eckhardt

  Published by L&K, 2022.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  COWBOY OUTLAW

  First edition. April 15, 2022.

  Copyright © 2022 Lori Wilde and Kristin Eckhardt.

  ISBN: 979-8201762483

  Written by Lori Wilde and Kristin Eckhardt.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Further Reading: Cowboy Cop

  Also By Lori Wilde

  Also By Kristin Eckhardt

  About the Author

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Cade Holden looked up from the sheet of plywood he was measuring and scowled at his little brother.

  Only Trace wasn’t so little anymore. He’d just turned twenty-six, and at six two, stood just an inch shorter than Cade. They’d spent most of the morning repairing horse stalls on Elk Creek Ranch and the sun shone brightly in the big, blue Texas sky.

  “Warn me? You’ve been predicting catastrophes ever since Grandma Hattie started Cowboy Confidential. Don’t you think you might be just a little paranoid?”

  Trace Holden snorted. “It’s not just a temporary staffing agency and you know it. She’s been determined from the start to see each one of her six grandsons roped and saddled with a wife. Now she’s four-for-four in that matchmaking scheme she calls Cowboy Confidential.” He shook his head. “Well, I’m not sticking around to be victim number six.”

  “Number six? Who’s victim number five?”

  “Just take a look in the mirror, pal,” Trace placed his hammer on a sawhorse. “You are bride bait, and Grandma Hattie is all set to reel one in for you.”

  Cade shook, then pulled a stubby pencil out of his shirt pocket. It was unseasonably warm for January, and he’d already peeled off his chore jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his flannel shirt.

  He began marking off measurements on the wood, refusing to let this ridiculous conversation slow his progress. He’d taken over the Holden family ranch three years ago, shortly after earning his general contractor’s license. His carpentry work had paid off, both around the ranch and with jobs he’d picked up in Pine City.

  He stuck the pencil back in his shirt pocket, then glanced at his brother. Trace might have a few more pounds on him than Cade, but obviously not as much brain. He was also an inveterate playboy. “Look, Trace, you’ve got to get over this marriage phobia of yours. It isn’t healthy.”

  “And I suppose your plan to have women audition for a chance to be your wife is what you call healthy?”

  “Definitely. I’m planning to marry for keeps. As soon as I find the one who fits all my requirements.”

  Trace visibly shuddered. “Not me. I’m hightailing it out of here.”

  “And going where?”

  “Colorado. I’m headed to the Denver Stock Show and hauling some of Uncle Pete’s purebred Longhorn bulls with me.” Trace cleared his throat. “Lauren wants to see me while I’m there.”

  The name of Trace’s ex-fiancée made Cade stop in his tracks. “Lauren? It’s been three years since she broke it off with you. I didn’t know you two were still in contact.”

  “We’re not. I mean, we haven’t spoken since she took that job in Denver. But she sent me a text message a couple of weeks ago asking if I’d be at the stock show and saying she wanted to meet with me.”

  “And you agreed?” Cade asked, remembering how long it had taken his brother to get over Lauren.

  “I sure did, because it’s the perfect setup.” Trace pulled a bandana handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the sweat off the back of his neck. “If Grandma Hattie believes Lauren broke my heart again, then she’ll give me plenty of time to recover.” He gave his brother a rueful smile. “Could take me months or even years before I’d be ready for romance again.”

  Cade couldn’t tell if he was serious. “You’d deceive Grandma Hattie like that?”

  “Deceive is a strong word. I don’t know how I’ll feel when I see Lauren again.” Trace looked off in the distance. “Maybe the sparks are still there.”

  “You’re overthinking this, Trace.” Cade picked up his power saw and placed it carefully into position on top of the plywood. “I just told Grandma Hattie straight out that I won’t be working a job for Cowboy Confidential. Between the ranch and my contractor jobs, I simply don’t have the time. Especially now that I’m renovating that old building in the business district for Carly’s new café.”

  Carly Weiss, their future sister-in-law, was a talented chef who intended to open an upscale farm-to-table café in the heart of Pine City.

  Trace nodded. “I heard about that. Sorry I won’t be around to help you.”

  “It’s no problem.” Cade smiled. “I asked Grandma Hattie to find me a carpenter’s assistant from Cowboy Confidential. That way, I can support her business and get the help I need.”

  “Smart,” Trace said with an approving nod. “And she agreed?”

  “She sure did.” Cade removed his brown leather cowboy hat to wipe the perspiration from his brow. “So, I avoided her matchmaking trap and didn’t even have to leave Texas to do it.”

  “I remember Jack thinking he’d avoided her trap, too.” Trace folded his arms across his chest. “And then he proposed to Carly less than a month after meeting her. Grandma Hattie made that happen.” Trace leaned toward him and lowered his voice. “Be afraid, Cade. Be very afraid.”

  “Hey, I like Carly,” Cade said in defense of his future sister-in-law. He picked up the power cord to the saw and walked toward the horse barn to plug it in. “And she’s good for Jack.”

  “I like her too,” Trace said, following him. “But I’m still not sticking around Pine City.”

  Cade shook his head. Trace was actually running scared. And for what? Some illogical fear that Grandma Hattie could make him fall in love with a woman against his will?

  Cade wasn’t about to let that happen to him. He’d be getting married all right, but to a woman of his own choosing. A woman who fit the exact blueprint of the future he wanted to build. And he’d made that clear to his grandmother, in no uncertain terms. She’d taken the news well. He frowned down at the level in his hand. Maybe a little too well. Maybe he should have another talk with her, just in case...

  As if she were psychic, Hattie Holden appeared at that moment, turning her new silver SUV into the long gravel driveway of Elk Creek Ranch and heading straight for them.

  “Here comes trouble,” Trace said with a grin. Then he ducked into the horse barn and out of sight.

  “Hey, get back here,” Cade called after him, but to no avail. As his grandmother parked nearby, he noticed she wasn’t alone. A man in his early twenties sat in the passenger seat beside her. He’d seen him somewhere before but couldn’t quite place him.

  “Cade, I’ve got a surprise for you,” Grandma Hattie called out to him as she climbed down from the SUV and walked toward him. She wore a red plaid flannel shirt, blue jeans, and her favorite pair of cowboy boots. Her silver hair was styled in two braids that hung over her shoulders, making her look younger than her seventy-one years.

  Cade glanced toward the horse barn, but Trace was nowhere to be found.

&nbsp
; “You won’t believe it,” Grandma Hattie said when she reached him, the young man trailing a few feet behind her. “I’ve found the perfect carpenter’s apprentice for you. Meet Gino Galetti.”

  The scrawny young man stepped forward, his dark hair pulled into a loose ponytail. “Hello, again.” His voice was reedy, and he didn’t make eye contact.

  But as soon as Cade heard him speak, he remembered where he’d met this guy. He stifled a groan as he reached out to shake Gino’s hand. His grandmother had a bad habit of taking in strays. He recalled another stray named Weasel, whom she’d taken under her wing a while back. But even Weasel would make a better carpenter’s apprentice than Gino. Anyone would be better than Gino. “Don’t you already have a job as a barista?”

  “Not anymore.” Gino yanked his hand away, then folded his arms across his chest. “I told you he doesn’t like me,” he said to Grandma Hattie. “Didn’t I tell you? I spill one cup of coffee on him, and he holds a grudge forever.”

  “I’m sure that’s not true,” Grandma Hattie said, reaching over to pat Gino’s arm. “Is it, Cade?”

  It was darn close to the truth, Cade thought to himself. That hot coffee Gino had dumped in his lap had come perilously close to doing serious damage. Gino was obviously as dangerous as the rest of the infamous Galetti family. They were notorious in Pine City for their criminal ways.

  Cade shuddered to think of the havoc Gino could wreak with a nail gun. “Look, it’s nothing personal,” he explained. “I just prefer to work with someone who has actual carpentry experience.”

  “I made a birdhouse in seventh-grade shop class,” Gino said, widening his brown puppy eyes. “And I’m always doing little repairs around the house.”

  “Hammer something for him,” Grandma Hattie suggested, picking up the hammer from the sawhorse and handing it to Gino. “Show him what you can do.”

  Cade took a cautious step back. “That’s really not necess—”

  Gino took a swing at one of the braces Cade had just built. Wood splintered as the brace split in two at the impact and fell to the ground.

  “—ary,” Cade finished, looking in dismay at his shattered handiwork.

  “There’s more where that came from,” Gino said proudly, flipping the hammer high in the air.

  “I’m sure there is,” Cade said, quickly reaching out to grab the flying hammer before Gino did any more damage. “But I really can’t afford you.”

  “Oh, don’t worry, dear,” Grandma Hattie chimed, smiling sweetly at her grandson. “Money won’t be a problem. Since I’m mentoring him, I’ll cover half his wages. He needs a little polishing, but I think he has potential.”

  Gino stepped forward. “And I just can’t take the stress of working at the Armadillo Coffeehouse anymore,” Gino explained, his voice quivering. “The menu is so complicated and some of the customers can be so rude. You dribble a little coffee on them, and they start screaming about lawsuits and third-degree burns.”

  Grandma Hattie wrapped one arm around Gino’s narrow shoulders, then looked over at Cade. “The barista life just isn’t for him. I thought working with his hands would be soothing and you could use the help.”

  It might be soothing for Gino, but not for Cade. “Maybe you should take a vacation instead?” he told the guy. “You could lie around on a beach somewhere and soak up the sun.”

  “Sand gives me a rash.” Gino swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his neck. “For once in my life, I’d like to be good at something. Just give me a chance.”

  Grandma Hattie leaned toward her grandson and lowered her voice. “Please, Cade. For me.”

  Damn. Now she had him. He’d give his right arm for Grandma Hattie if she wanted it. She and his late Grandpa Henry had raised Cade and his five brothers after their parents were killed in a car accident. He’d only been five years old at the time, but his grandparents’ unconditional love had filled the horrible void in his life.

  She’d always been there when he’d needed her.

  That’s why Cade would agree to take on Gino as an apprentice. Which might actually cost him his right arm. Not to mention a leg and numerous fingers.

  “Anything for you, Grandma Hattie,” Cade said, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

  Her blue eyes widened. “Anything?”

  “Almost anything,” he amended before he found himself saddled with a blind date on top of everything else.

  “But Cade...”

  He held up one hand. “We’ve already talked about this. Besides, I need to clean up soon. I have a date tonight with Kimberly.”

  Grandma Hattie wrinkled her nose. “You’re still seeing her. She’s so...”

  “Sweet? Nice? Giving?”

  “Exactly. She’ll kill you with kindness. Or boredom. Or both. You need a woman who will challenge you. Someone who will add some excitement and unpredictability in your life.”

  “That’s exactly what I don’t need,” Cade countered. He had his future drawn out as neatly as a set of building schematics. And he knew the exact specifications he required in a wife. He’d even made a checklist to use for rating potential candidates.

  Grandma Hattie sighed. “Spoken like a man who hasn’t met the right woman yet.”

  Cade couldn’t argue with her. Not because he agreed, but because Gino had started up the power saw and the noise made it impossible to think, much less speak. He turned to catch sight of the saw flailing wildly in Gino’s hands. “Put that thing down before you hurt someone!”

  But it was too late.

  ###

  Chloe Galetti didn’t feel at home in prison, despite the fact that several members of her extended family resided at the North Texas Women’s Correctional Center. Still, she faithfully made the rounds each visiting day, bearing gifts and Galetti family gossip.

  First, she saw Aunt Wanda, serving two-to-five years for petty larceny. Then Cousin Kit, serving ten months for floating bad checks. Her other cousin, Nora, was in again for violating her probation.

  And then there was her mother.

  “Did you know I’m up for parole soon?” Eileen Galetti asked, flicking a piece of lint off the sleeve of her bright-orange jumpsuit.

  “In twenty-one days. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Chloe cleared her throat, then looked at her mother through the plexiglass partition. She’d rehearsed this speech during the one-hour trip from Pine City, determined to convince Eileen to go straight once and for all. “You’ll have a much better chance of making parole if you’ve got a good job lined up.”

  “You don’t have to worry about me, dear. I know how to take care of myself. Besides, I’m really overqualified for most jobs,” Eileen mused. “And I refuse to work in another laundry.” She frowned down at her chapped hands. “Just look at what that harsh detergent has done to my cuticles.”

  Chloe leaned forward in her chair. “Mother, you can’t be picky this time. And if you want to stay out of prison, you absolutely cannot work for Uncle Leo again.”

  “But he lets me set my own hours.”

  “You were a courier for his money-laundering operation!”

  “He had a wonderful dental plan.”

  “You’re going legit this time, Mom.” Chloe set her jaw, determined to be as stubborn as her mother. “I mean it. Gino needs you on the outside, and so do I.”

  Eileen frowned. “What’s the matter with Gino? What did he do this time?”

  Chloe didn’t know where to begin. It seemed her younger brother was always suffering some sort of crisis. “Well, he’s still upset about his broken engagement. I knew it was a mistake for you to fix him up with your cellmate.”

  Eileen threw her hands in the air. “I thought having a girlfriend might give him some self-confidence. He’s so shy around women.”

  “His girlfriend was convicted of attempted murder!” Chloe exclaimed in a hushed voice.

  “But Nanette seemed like such a nice girl when she was my roomie. And she’s so pretty. By the way, she’s not
my cellmate anymore. Her conviction got overturned last month on a technicality. I heard she moved to Florida, so she’s out of his life if that makes you happy.”

  “It absolutely does.” Chloe breathed a sigh of relief. “Because the last thing we need in this family is another felon. Now, I think you should move back home when you get out of here and I’ll help you find a good, legitimate job.”

  “You can’t afford another mouth to feed, honey. Especially when you’re struggling to start your interior design business.” She glanced around her, eyeing the prison guard across the room, then lowered her voice to a whisper. “You don’t have to go it alone, you know. The family can find a way to funnel you some cash under the table.”

  “I don’t want that kind of help,” Chloe said firmly. “You know that. I want to earn my success.”

  Eileen gave her a wistful smile. “Oh, my sweet Chloe. You’ve always been the black sheep of the Galetti family, so determined to stay on the right side of the law.”

  “Well, this black sheep just got her first big job,” Chloe announced, trying her best to sound nonchalant about it. “So, money won’t be a problem for a while.”

  Eileen’s face lit up. “What! You got a job!”

  “Hey, quiet down over there,” the prison guard shouted.

  Eileen rolled her eyes, then leaned closer to the partition and lowered her voice. “When did this happen?”

  “Just yesterday, actually. I went to pick up Gino from the Armadillo Coffeehouse and ran into one of his favorite customers, a woman named Hattie Holden. She treated me to a cup of coffee and the next thing I knew she was offering me a job to decorate her future daughter-in-law’s new café.” Chloe couldn’t stop smiling. “Apparently, she runs some sort of temporary staffing agency and her daughter-in-law hired her to find an interior designer.”

  “Hattie Holden?” Eileen’s brow furrowed. “Wait a minute, I know her. Her staffing agency is called Cowboy Confidential, right?”

  “Yes, it is.” Chloe blinked in surprise. “She opened the agency a year ago. But you’ve been stuck in here for the past five years, so how could you possibly know her? Unless...”