Savage Cowboy, page 1
Savage Cowboy
Whiskey Valley: Bryant Brothers
Hope Ford
Contents
1. Chance
2. Amanda
3. Chance
4. Amanda
5. Chance
6. Amanda
7. Chance
8. Amanda
9. Chance
10. Amanda
11. Chance
12. Amanda
13. Chance
14. Amanda
15. Chance
Epilogue
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About the Author
Savage Cowboy © 2022 by Hope Ford
Editor: Kasi Alexander
Images and Cover Art Illustration by Period Images
Cover Design: Hope Ford
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Chapter 1
Chance
I’m making a fool of myself.
I don’t know what I’m thinking or why the hell I’m pacing up and down the sidewalk in front of the bookstore, but here I am. I should be home. I have an early day tomorrow, and I shouldn’t be here peeking in the store windows. Heck, every day is an early day for a rancher, but I can’t make myself leave.
I’m pretty sure I just met my future wife. It’s ridiculous to think, and just the thought seems to make my heart race in my chest. I’ve been a confirmed bachelor for a long time now, and this feeling that I have is ridiculous.
But here I stand.
“You’re going to wear a path into the concrete.”
I flip my brother Griffin the bird and keep my pace as I walk back and forth.
He eventually shifts and stands right in my way so I have no choice but to stop and look at him. He’s laughing, and it’s obvious he’s enjoying this.
I figure the best defense is a good offense. “Congratulations, by the way.”
His smile gets even bigger, and I shake my head, still not believing what happened earlier. My brother, the man that always keeps to himself, just asked his girlfriend to marry him. He and Hailey met when she came to the Double B Ranch to study ranches for her next romance novel. She and Griffin fell in love, and tonight, of all nights, he asked her to marry him.
He nods his head at me. “Thanks, little brother.”
I grimace. I may be a little younger, but I’m definitely not little by any means. “Yeah, sure. I’m happy for you.” And I am happy for him. I’m being honest about that, but I’m not happy about getting the brush-off from Amanda.
“Sooooo, you know I only needed help carrying in a few boxes, right? You drove so you wouldn’t have to stick around.... but here you are... still here.”
I stop pacing and stare at him. “What? My future sister-in-law is making her big debut in Whiskey Valley. She’s signing books and getting to know the townspeople. Why wouldn’t I want to stick around for that?”
Griffin has the nerve to laugh. “Oh, okay! I thought you may have been sticking around for the bookstore owner.”
I look at him with my most innocent look, trying not to give away a thing. “Who? Amanda?”
Griffin barks out a laugh this time. “Yeah, Amanda. You know the young woman in there you’ve been following around like a lost puppy dog...”
I take a step toward my brother, and my hands fist at my sides. “First of all, I haven’t been following her around like a lost puppy dog. Second of all, I’m out here. I’m nowhere near her.”
He rolls his eyes. “Really? The only reason you’re out here is because she won’t give you the time of day and she turned you down when you asked her out. Are you out here licking your wounds or trying to come up with another tactic?”
I open my mouth to deny it and then slam it shut. It’s the truth... there’s no reason I should be denying anything at this point, and even though I know it’s crazy and I’ll probably regret it, I’m still going to do it. I’m going to ask my brother for advice. “Okay, what do you suggest I do?”
He lifts his chin at me. It’s dark outside now, and the only lights are the ones from the shop windows and the streetlamps. “She’s too young for you. You’re at least ten years older than her.”
I shrug my shoulders. “So what? She’s of legal age, and you know as well as I do that age doesn’t matter.”
Griffin crosses his arms over his chest and blows out a breath. “Okay, I well I guess I need to bring out the big guns.”
When he doesn’t continue, I roll my hand in front of him as if to say Let’s get on with it. I keep looking in the window, and I swear I’ve seen Amanda peek out here a few times. Could she be looking for me?
“I think I know why she turned you down.”
My eyes widen, and I wait for him to continue. When he doesn’t, I swear I’m about to kick him in his shins. “Come on, Griffin. Get on with it.”
He looks in the window, spots his fiancée, and smiles before turning back to me. “Right. Uh, the reason she’s not interested.... she’s a McCoy.”
“What?” I ask him, shaking my head. “She’s a McCoy?” And then it hits me. She’s the only sister of the McCoy brothers. Her family is a big ranching family, and her brothers all compete on the circuit. And even though the McCoy ranch is right next to ours, I haven’t seen her since she was little and wore pigtails. There’s no way. “That’s not...”
But before I can get it out, Griffin is nodding his head, smiling like he just revealed one of life’s great mysteries. “It is. When Hailey was asked to do this, she was worried about how I’d react... you know since a McCoy owned the bookstore, but I told her that I’d never let a forty-year-old feud stand in the way of her career.”
The McCoys own the land next to ours. We’ve been feuding for years, even though it’s all seemed to have died down lately. I mean, we’re not friendly with each other by any means, but we’re not bringing out the shotguns anymore either.
I walk past my brother and look in the window. Now that I look at Amanda, I should have realized it on my own. She has the same brown hair and brown eyes as her brothers. I don’t know why I didn’t make the connection on my own.
She’s beautiful with her long brown hair and big brown eyes. She’s standing next to Hailey, and they’re talking as the last few guests are starting to leave. Both Hailey and Amanda are smiling ear to ear, and I can’t help but smile too.
My brother walks up next to me, looking in the window. “What are you smiling about?”
I shrug. “I don’t care if she’s a McCoy. She’s going to be mine, Griffin.”
Griffin puts his hand on my shoulder. “She’s not a cow, Chance. You can’t just claim her and think you can take her home with you. I was standing right next to you. She turned you down. She’s not interested.”
At that moment, Amanda looks through the window, and with me standing against the glass, she can obviously see me plain as day. She smiles and then seems to catch herself before looking away. “Oh, she’s interested all right. I just need to convince her is all.”
I start for the door, and Griffin stops me. “What do you think King’s going to say about you getting mixed up with a McCoy? And really, you think her family is just going to step to the side and let it happen? Because I’m telling you right now, none of this is going to be easy.”
I blow out my breath and put my hand on the door. I look back at my brother. He was wounded in the war, and we thought he’d never be happy again. But here he is, engaged and finally living life again. It wasn’t easy for him. I know it wasn’t. “Griff, you probably know better than anyone. Anything worth having isn’t going to be easy.”
With that, I open the door and head inside. One way or another, I’m going to find a way to get Amanda to say yes to me.
Chapter 2
Amanda
My hands are still shaking. For the last two hours, I have been working like a crazy woman. This is probably the busiest the bookstore has been since I took it over. I should be excited and enjoying the success of the night, but I can't seem to let myself relax.
It seems all of the women of Whiskey Valley were thrilled about having a real romance author move to town. The bookstore has been busy and filled with laughter and talking since the signing started over two hours ago. We’ve already sold out of Hailey’s stash of books and all the extra ones I preordered to have on stock at the store. And no matter how much I worried about tonight, it couldn't have gone off any better. Everything turned out perfectly.
But no matter how well it is going, I know exactly why my stomach is tied into knots. I let my eyes drift toward the front bay windows of the bookshop. It's getting dark out, but the streetlamps light up my front walk. I can see Chance Bryant and his brother out there talking, and I blow out a breath, knowing exactly what they're talking about.
Earlier when Chance asked me out, I don't think he had a clue who I was. I wanted to say yes, but of course, I couldn’t. Even though he doesn't realize who I am, I know exactly who he is. And the Bryant family and the McCoy family do not mix, we haven't for a long time. Our families have been feuding for as long as I can remember, but at least now there's no shotguns or threats involved. No, now we just pretty much avoid each other entirely, which is how I know he has no idea I'm a McCoy.
I ring up the next person, and with no one else in line, I look around m
I stand to the side and watch as the next three people in line get their books signed. Once everyone has left except for Hailey and me, she stands up and stretches. I walk toward her with a big smile on my face. "I can't thank you enough—" But I don't even get the words out because she stops me.
"Are you kidding me? I should be thanking you. I needed this."
I nod in understanding. There was a lot of gossip about Hailey and her ex-husband, and how it could possibly hurt her career when he had cheated on her and left her. She was in the middle of a book series, and she said that until she’d met Griffin and came to Whiskey Valley, she had writer’s block. Obviously, the man and the beautiful ranch helped her because her book has gone straight to the bestsellers list.
Hailey glances down at her finger, and I tell her, “Congratulations.” I still can't believe when I saw Griffin on bended knee proposing marriage to her earlier.
Hailey giggles. "Thank you."
The bells on the door jingle, letting us know that someone is walking in. Before I even turn, I know exactly who is walking in the door, and I busy myself straightening up and putting things away. Griffin walks up to Hailey and hugs her. "It was amazing," he says.
She nods excitedly and starts to replay the night's events as if he hasn't had his eyes on her the whole entire time. I look at Chance, who is standing to the side. He's staring at me, and I feel that heated gaze all the way across the room. I pull my eyes off of him and stack books before walking away toward the register. Distance is what I need to put between Chance and me.
I barely make it across the room and Hailey is following me. "Thank you again so much, Amanda, and I'll be coming in more often."
Griffin chuckles. "Oh, good, more books."
Hailey laughs good-naturedly. "You knew what you were getting yourself into when you decided to marry an author." She gasps and holds her hand up to look at her ring finger. "I still can't believe we're engaged."
Griffin pulls her into his arms. "Well, you better believe it, and the wedding is going to happen soon."
She goes up on her tiptoes to kiss him and then pulls back, touching his chest, "Oh, you." She tells me goodbye, and I hug her once more, knowing that I have already found a good friend in Hailey.
I watch as they walk toward the entrance and say goodbye to Chance, but he doesn't follow them. Instead, he walks toward me, and all I can do is stand here and look at him helplessly. "Is there anything you need while you're here?"
He smiles a big smile that takes over his whole face, lighting up his eyes, and even his cheeks get a little ruddy. "I can think of one thing I need." His voice has dropped, and by the way his eyes travel down my body and then back up again, I have a clue as to what he's talking about.
I look around the empty bookstore and back at him. He must mistake the look on my face with fear because he holds his hands up and stops walking toward me. "It's okay."
Embarrassed, I take a deep breath and let it out. I haven’t been around a lot of men that weren’t related to me. He probably thinks I’m some kind of freak. "Books, are there any books you're looking for?" I ask him to change the subject.
He chuckles and walks toward me again, this time slower. "No, but I was wanting to ask you something."
I pull the books in my arms closer to my chest and hold them there. Before he even says the words, I know exactly what he's going to ask me, but I still say it. "What do you want to ask me?"
He stops when he's right next to me. "Go out with me."
The way he says it is more of a demand than a question. Darn it, I would love to say yes, but I know I can't. "Chance, I don't know—" I stop.
He moves closer and puts his hand on mine, rubbing his finger across the back of my hand that is holding the books to my chest. His gentle touch causes my heart to race and my mind to whirl. It's as if I can't even form a complete sentence, so I mutter my last name. "McCoy."
His forehead creases. "I'm sorry?"
I shake my head as if to empty all the crazy thoughts going through it. "My name is Amanda McCoy. I'm a McCoy."
He opens his hand and lays it over mine, wrapping it like a cocoon. He’s so much bigger than me, and that’s all I can think about as he tells me in a clear, steady voice. "I know who you are, and I don't care."
Chapter 3
Chance
Being this close to Amanda without anyone else around is driving me crazy. I've never, in my life, felt an instant attraction like I do with her. I know nothing about her, but that doesn't seem to matter. And I know she's right—the McCoys and the Bryants don't mix—but that's not going to stop me from having her. Maybe stuff like that matters to my brothers, but not to me. I don't care what anyone thinks about me. If I want something, I go after it, and I've never wanted anything as much as I want Amanda McCoy.
She's standing in front of me, staring at me with her mouth hanging open. I know that I've surprised her. I reach for the books in her arms, and she lets me take them. I set them on the counter beside us, and then I put my hands on her shoulders. "Go out with me," I ask her again.
Her eyes widen, and she pulls away from me. She walks quickly around the bookstore, and I follow slowly behind her. I make her nervous. I don’t know if it’s my size or being alone with me or what, but I need her to know that I’m no threat to her. She's locking the back door, flipping off light switches, doing everything except answering my question.
When she grabs her purse from behind the counter and puts it over her shoulder, she walks toward the front door. She opens it and holds her hands out for me to go. "I can't go out with you, Chance. You know that I can't."
Instantly, I want to stomp my foot and throw a fit. I know that's not very manly, but that's my kneejerk reaction. This shouldn't be this hard. I know she wants to go out with me. I can see it by the way that she watches me and the breathless hitch in her voice when she talks to me.
"I don't know anything of the like. What I do know is that from the minute I first saw you, I knew that I had to get to know you. I'm not asking for marriage or anything. One date." She's staring at me but doesn't say a word. "Tell me, and be honest, do you not want to at least give us a chance?"
She clenches her eyes closed and then opens them. "It doesn't matter what I want."
Instantly, I'm pissed. Why would she think it doesn't matter what she wants? She should have the fucking world. “Who told you that? Why would you think what you want doesn't matter? That's all that fucking matters.”
She looks nervously outside. “I really need to go, Chance.”
I walk out the door and let her pull it behind us. I stand beside her as she locks it, not ready to give up just yet. When she turns, she puts her keys back in her purse and looks up at me. "Why do you want to go out with me anyway?"
I open my mouth ready to tell her exactly why, when bright lights shine in our face. It's a jacked-up truck, and with the bright lights beaming in my face, I can't tell who the driver is. I grab on to Amanda’s hand and pull her behind me.
"Amanda McCoy, get over here," a loud voice booms from the truck, but I still don't let her go.
If anything, my hold on her hand tightens. My heart stops, and I look over my shoulder at her. "Is that your boyfriend?"
I hold my breath waiting for an answer. Just the thought that some other man can claim her makes me ill.
But Amanda shakes her head. "No, that's my brother."
The truck door opens, and when the man comes forward, I can tell exactly who it is. Her brother, Ray, is close to my age, and we competed for everything through high school. We've never gotten along. And by the scowl on his face, he's definitely not happy to find me with his sister.
