A Cowboy's Honor (The McGavin Brothers #2) Read online

  He shook his head.

  “Heartsick,” Mandy said.

  “Well, that can be just as bad. And Cody, you haven’t been yourself today, either. I thought you might be coming down with the same thing Faith had.”

  Mandy chuckled. “Which he was.”

  “My poor son.” His mom hobbled over to him and took his face in both hands. “If I’d known, I would have found a way to let her go with you.” A tender light shone in her eyes.

  “She never would have stood for that. But I’m hoping she’ll go for Jim’s idea.”

  “Except I haven’t landed the job yet,” Jim said.

  Cody’s mom turned around to face him. “How are you at picking wildflowers?”

  “Well, now, Kendra, I haven’t picked wildflowers in a long, long time.” His expression softened. “I used to do it for my wife. I reckon you don’t forget how.”

  “You don’t.” There was a slight tremor in her voice. Then she glanced over at Zane. “Any objections if we hire this cowboy?”

  Zane grinned. “No, ma’am. You won’t catch me standing in the way of true love.”

  Cody had a sudden thought. He glanced at Jim. “Does Faith know what you’re up to?”

  “No.” He held out the keys to the antique Ford. “But I figure you’re the one to tell her and unhitching that trailer will take too long.”

  Cody’s attention swerved from the keys dangling in Jim’s hand to the trailer attached to his truck. “I bought the wrong damn trailer.”

  “It’s a decent looking rig.” Jim smiled at him. “I’ve been thinking I could use one if you’re considering selling it.”

  “I am. We’ll talk.” He took the keys. “Thanks.”

  Jim waved a hand. “No problem. Go see my daughter and tell her there’s been a change in plans. Then if you wouldn’t mind bringing her back here, we can work out the details.”

  “Wait a minute,” Mandy said. “Shouldn’t they have some time alone?”

  Jim’s face turned red and he cleared his throat. “Uh, I didn’t think of that.”

  “Don’t think about it.” Cody glanced around at the assembled group. “I guarantee Faith wouldn’t want you to. Let’s not embarrass her, okay? I’ll bring her back and we’ll work out the details, like Jim said.”

  “Hey, bro,” Zane said, “you don’t have to come right back. Mandy has a point.”

  “If Faith goes for this plan, we’ll have plenty of time to be alone. Two whole months. See you soon.” He hurried over to the truck.

  He did his best not to break any speed limits on the way through town but he might’ve been a bit over. His foot just kept wanting to press harder on the pedal. God, he hoped Faith would agree to this. Her dad seemed to think it was a slam dunk but he wasn’t so sure.

  Faith was very protective of her father. She’d never allow him to sacrifice his safety and well-being for her needs. If she thought he was doing that, she’d turn thumbs down. As he’d learned, once she made up her mind about something, she couldn’t be budged.

  When he pulled up in front of the little frame house, the lights were on downstairs and he could smell something cooking, maybe chicken. He had a flash of what it would be like to come home to a house like this, to know that he would hold Faith in his arms at night and wake up with her in the morning. He wanted that. But first he had to convince her to make this trip.

  As he walked toward the front porch, she came out the front door. “Okay, Dad, you’d better tell me…” She came to an abrupt halt. “What are you doing here? Where’s my dad?”

  “At the ranch.” He mounted the steps. “He loaned me the truck so I could come and see you.”

  “I don’t want to see you.” But her eyes sent a different message and she was breathing fast. “Why’s my dad at the ranch?”

  “He applied for your job. He got it.”

  “You’re not making any sense. Have you been drinking?”

  “Not a drop.” But he was feeling a little drunk standing so close he could smell soap, shampoo, and warm woman. She had on her normal baggy clothes and she’d put her hair in a braid, like usual. He’d never wanted to hold someone as much as he wanted to hold her. “Can I come in?”

  “Why?”

  “We have things to discuss.” She’d left the door standing open and the aroma of chicken was stronger. “Are you fixing dinner?”

  “I was expecting my dad. Cody, what’s going on?”

  “Let me come in and I’ll explain. Give me five minutes.”

  “Okay, five minutes.” She turned and went inside.

  As he followed and closed the door behind him, he fought the urge to reach for her. She’d given him five minutes to lay out the new plan. He needed to make it concise and persuasive.

  He took a deep breath, but the words that came out had nothing to do with the plan. “I love you.”

  Her green eyes filled with anguish. “Cody, if you’ve come here to try and convince me that postponing your trip is a good idea, then you’re wasting your time.”

  “No, that’s not it. Did you hear what I said about your dad? He’s been hired in your place.”

  “That’s crazy! He’s sworn off riding. He can’t do my job. Why is he replacing me? Did I do something wrong?”

  He was making a mess of this. “He wants to replace you for two months so you can go with me.”

  Her eyes widened. “What?”

  “He wants us to go together. More than that, he wants us to be together. He came to the ranch just now and asked for a job. He’s been hired.”

  “Was this your idea?”

  “No! I had nothing to do with it, I swear.”

  “Just a minute. Let me turn off the stove.” She stomped out of the living room. In seconds, she was back. “Let’s go.”

  “Where?”

  “To the ranch. I want to get to the bottom of this. Oh, and give me the keys. I’ll drive.”

  He didn’t have a choice. It was her truck. He’d promised everyone they’d be back soon, but he didn’t think they were prepared for Faith on the warpath.

  Once they got on the road, she started in. “Let me get this straight. When my dad left here, he drove to the ranch and asked if he could have my job so I could leave with you.”

  “That’s about the size of it.”

  “Yet the other night he announced to you that he wasn’t willing to risk his neck by climbing on the back of a horse.”

  “That was before he realized your job was standing in the way of going with me on this trip.”

  “So now he’ll risk his neck so I can go traipsing around the countryside with you? I don’t think so!”

  He wanted to diffuse this bomb, but he wasn’t sure how. “He said something that might interest you.”

  “What was that?”

  “I take it he almost died after the horse rolled on him.”

  She was quiet for a moment. “Yes.”

  “Tonight he said he’d quit riding because he’d been afraid he’d die and leave you alone.”

  The cab of the truck was silent except for the hum of the tires. “I didn’t know that,” she said at last.

  “If you don’t believe me, you can ask him.”

  “I believe you. That sounds like my dad. He convinced me he was afraid for himself, but instead he was afraid for me.”

  “That’s what he said.”

  “So why change his mind about that, now?”

  He’d been so hoping she’d ask. “Two reasons. He’s bored.”

  “I’m sure he is. What was his second reason?”

  “He knows if something happens to him, you won’t be alone.” In the silence that followed, he could almost hear her thinking. He decided to press on. “He’s right. You have us McGavins, now. But more than that, you have me.”

  “Cody, I—”

  “I know you’re having trouble believing that I love you. You may even think it’s just sex.”

  “It could be, you know.”

  “But
it’s not. I know the difference. When you smile, I see the freckles across your nose and that little space between your front teeth and my heart melts. When you’re all fixed up like you were last night, you’re dynamite, but you don’t need any of that to bring me to my knees. I love the Faith I first met, the one who dabbed vanilla on herself to convince me she was desirable.”

  She groaned. “I realize now that was so—”

  “Adorable. Vanilla is now my favorite scent because it makes me think of you. Please consider accepting your father’s generous gesture as it was meant.”

  “It was high-handed.”

  “It was loving.”

  “But is he up to the job?”

  “Absolutely. He might need a week or two to get back in the swing of things, but he’s been wrangling horses all his life. You know yourself he couldn’t ask for a more nurturing environment than Wild Creek Ranch.”

  “No,” she said softly. “He couldn’t.”

  “Say you’ll take this adventure with me, Faith. I’ll buy that double trailer and we’ll head into the unknown, plus your dad will have a second chance to do the work he loves.”

  “And get frisky with Deidre.”

  “Maybe, but he’s up to the challenge.”

  “I didn’t think so before, but a guy who’ll drive right up to a ranch house and ask for a job out of the blue won’t be intimidated by Deidre.”

  “No.” Hope gave him a nudge, telling him not to give up. “Come with me, Faith.”

  “I’m scheduled to give Deidre riding lessons.”

  “Let your dad do it.”

  She laughed. “That would make a great YouTube video.”

  “I love you.” He decided it might be time to remind her.

  She swung the truck to the side of the road and killed the engine. “You keep saying that.”

  “Does it bother you?”

  “No.” She looked over at him, her face in shadows. “I like it.”

  “Good, because I like saying it.” He hesitated, afraid to push, but she had pulled over. “Anything you care to say to me?”

  “You’re fishing.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  The click of her seatbelt disengaging was loud in the stillness of the cab. “I’m coming over.”

  “Over here?” Then suddenly he had a lapful of Faith. His hat got knocked somewhere and she was kissing him as if she couldn’t get enough.

  Breathing hard, she eased away from him. “I love you, too, but you’ve always known that.”

  “Not at first.” He cupped the back of her head and drew her closer. “I thought I was the means to an end.”

  “That, too.”

  He smiled against her warm lips. “Thought so.”

  She lifted her head. “But I fell for you that first day. You were my fantasy, the only one for me.”

  “If I were a better man, I’d deny that I’m the best you’ll ever find. But I’m not that noble. Stay with me, sweet lady. No one could ever love you more.” In a world of uncertainties, he knew that much to be true. As he kissed her, he laid claim to a future filled with as much happiness as two hearts could hold. After all, he had Faith.

  But Wait, There’s More!

  FREE McGavin Brothers Prequel!!

  If you haven’t claimed your FREE copy of A COWBOY’S PROMISE, now’s your chance. This story is available exclusively to my readers. Get your copy here!

  Reviews mean a lot to an author. They increase book visibility and encourage readers to check out a new series or author they may not have tried before. If you enjoyed A COWBOY’S HONOR, consider leaving an honest review on your favorite retailer site. If you already left a review, thank you!

  Pick up a copy of A COWBOY’S RETURN, book three in the McGavin Brothers series, to find out what awaits Ryker McGavin when he returns to Eagles Nest!

  * * *

  Want more cowboys? Check out my Sons of Chance and Thunder Mountain Brotherhood series!

  MIDNIGHT THUNDER – (TMB #1) Cade Gallagher must save his foster parents’ ranch and win the heart of the woman he left behind.

  WANTED! – (SOC #1) Can sexy cowboy Nick Chance convince a beautiful photographer to see the man behind the muscles?

  * * *

  Praise for Vicki’s cowboy series

  “Vicki Lewis Thompson has a reputation for putting enough sizzle between the pages to actually create steam.”

  Fresh Fiction

  “This modern cowboy tale expertly balances sex and emotion with a touch of humor. It’s one of the hottest western romances of the year!”

  RT Book Reviews

  “Once again Ms. Thompson’s writing is crisp and straightforward, with an uncanny ability to weave the beautiful western landscape of the Grand Tetons into the storyline. Overall a hot, sexy read.”

  Harlequin Junkie

  Also by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  The McGavin Brothers

  A Cowboy’s Strength

  A Cowboy’s Honor

  Thunder Mountain Brotherhood

  Midnight Thunder

  Thunderstruck

  Rolling Like Thunder

  A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe

  Cowboy All Night

  Cowboy After Dark

  Cowboy Untamed

  Cowboy Unwrapped

  Sons of Chance

  Wanted!

  Ambushed!

  Claimed!

  Should've Been a Cowboy

  Cowboy Up

  Cowboys Like Us

  Long Road Home

  Lead Me Home

  Feels Like Home

  I Cross My Heart

  Wild at Heart

  The Heart Won't Lie

  Cowboys and Angels

  Riding High

  Riding Hard

  Riding Home

  A Last Chance Christmas

  About the Author

  New York Times bestselling author Vicki Lewis Thompson’s love affair with cowboys started with the Lone Ranger, continued through Maverick, and took a turn south of the border with Zorro. She views cowboys as the Western version of knights in shining armor, rugged men who value honor, honesty and hard work. Fortunately for her, she lives in the Arizona desert, where broad-shouldered, lean-hipped cowboys abound. Blessed with such an abundance of inspiration, she only hopes that she can do them justice.

  Connect with Vicki online!

  @VickiLThompson

  vickilewisthompson

  VickiLewisThompson.com

  [email protected]