The Cowboy's Lucky Lady (Horsehead Texas Series Book 5), page 1
The Cowboy's Lucky Lady
Horsehead Texas Series, Volume 5
Janalyn Knight
Published by Janalyn Knight, 2023.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue
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ALSO BY JANALYN KNIGHT
DEAR READER
REVIEW
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
COPYRIGHT
About the Author
For Ozzie Aguilar, a real Texas cowboy, a good man and a true southern gentleman.
Chapter One
Dane Weller strode up to the bar in the historic Purple Cow Saloon, his eyes squinting in the dim light as they ranged around the room filled with cowboys and a sprinkling of women. As he ordered a bourbon, his gaze settled on the table in the far corner, where a dazzlingly beautiful woman was dealing cards. He started a tab and walked over, but the lady in question never looked up as he stood by and watched her call the play. Blonde and green-eyed, slender yet strongly built, she was clearly a cowgirl to be reckoned with.
Her sure hands flashed in the smoke-filled light as she spun cards to each of the five other players at the table. The game was seven-card stud, a serious one for their small town with a five-dollar ante to start.
As the hand progressed, it was obvious that the men around the table were unable to keep from glancing at their gorgeous dealer every few seconds—and Dane couldn’t blame them.
He finished his drink and headed to the bar for another. “Carey, isn’t that Alexis Snowden over in the corner? I haven’t seen her since high school, but I think I recognize her.”
The bartender nodded. “That’s her, all right. She’s been in here every night for the last month or so, I guess—plays cards and barely drinks. And she’s damn good at it, too.”
“Huh.” That was intriguing. “So, had she been in before that—playing cards, I mean?”
“Occasionally, but not like this. This is something else. She arrives early and sits over there in the corner, waiting for other players to arrive. She’s really intense.”
What could have caused her to suddenly begin gambling every evening? Dane glanced over at her. “I can see that. She never even looks up.” What was going on with Alexis? He’d been going crazy with boredom since being injured, and figuring this out could be a welcome distraction.
Dane was a PRCA bulldogger and, after a nasty dustup with a rowdy steer, he’d come out with three broken ribs and a fractured arm. The bones were in alignment, so he hadn’t needed surgery, but he was wearing a splint on his left arm. His doctor had strictly forbidden him from competing, so he was recuperating here at his family ranch in Horsehead, Texas.
“You know, she lost her folks last year. Head-on with a semitruck. She’s been running their place by herself ever since. It’s a tough situation,” Carey said.
“Oh, that’s bad. I’m sorry to hear it.” How in the world was she running their spread all on her own?
He took his drink and walked back over to the table.
Alexis said, “It’s to you, Wayne.”
The man hesitated for a long moment, then folded his cards and tossed them on the table with a loud, disgusted sigh.
Dane noted that it was only Alexis and another man left in the game. Alexis tossed in a five, then dealt the last card down. The man looked at his card and also tossed in a five.
Alexis looked at hers and went still. After a moment, she tossed in another five and turned over her hand. Two pairs, aces and kings. Her opponent also had two pairs, kings and jacks. Her eyes flickered, and she raked in the pot.
The man swore good-naturedly under his breath. “You’re damn sure lucky, Alexis.”
She smiled. “Just like my daddy. At least that’s what my momma always said.”
Dane sucked in a breath. That smile transformed her beautiful face into a thing of exquisite perfection. Her emerald eyes danced with light, and her brilliant white teeth flashed—and then disappeared as her face quickly returned to its usual somber expression.
Then her gaze flicked to him for the first time with a look of interest, and he was transfixed, unable to respond—or even move.
He smiled, but she didn’t notice. She’d returned her attention to the cards and her business of the night.
After a long hour in which she ignored him completely, he took care of his tab and left the bar, no nearer to solving the mystery of Alexis Snowden. But he wasn’t giving up. Not by a long shot.
Alexis was aware of the tall, good-looking cowboy as he strode from the table. She’d known him the instant he’d approached earlier in the evening—Dane Weller, high school rodeo stud and now a professional rodeo cowboy—a steer wrestler, if she remembered correctly. She hadn’t seen him in years, but everyone in town knew of him—the national champion year after year. His parents were so proud they could pop, and Opal’s Café was always full of the latest gossip ab`out the cowboy.
Although she had nothing against him personally, she had a sincere grudge against rodeo cowboys in general.
She narrowed her eyes, forcing her concentration back on her cards. She wouldn’t—couldn’t—think about Mark now. She had hours to go before last call and her final hand, so she’d better get her act together before she paid in five-dollar bills instead of just in mental misery.
Looking into those beautiful, light-hazel eyes of Dane’s had stunned her. She’d forgotten how sexy he was. She’d had a terrible, secret crush on him her sophomore year when he’d been a senior and the girls had been falling all over him. He’d never noticed her—and why should he have? Then he’d graduated and gone off to rodeo college, where he’d gotten his degree in agribusiness like most ranchers’ sons did. She’d lost track of him then, except for the local gossip, and hadn’t thought much about him until now.
Why had he hung around her table this evening? Was he bored, or was there some other reason? He’d piqued her interest, and she actually hated to admit that, what with the whole rodeo-cowboy thing and all. She’d never see him again—and that was just fine with her.
Instantly, her heart panged—and that was just wrong. She wasn’t going to give the cowboy another thought.
The next day, Dane pulled up to the pasture gate and turned off the truck engine before putting in a call to his best friend, Colt Meadows. “Hey, bro, you got a minute?”
“You bet. How are those ribs doing, by the way? You taking care of yourself?” his friend asked.
“If Mom had her way, I’d be laid up in bed all day. I’m taking it pretty easy, though. Feeding right now.”
“Aw, bud, you shouldn’t be feeding with that arm and those ribs. Come on,” Colt said.
“It’s fine. I’m being careful. Listen, do you know Alexis Snowden?”
“Oh, don’t tell me. You’ve fallen in love,” his friend teased.
Dane laughed. “Not at all. I just saw her again, and I’m curious about her.”
“Yeah, I kind of know her. I see her at the feed store from time to time. Did you hear about her parents?” Colt asked.
“Yeah, that’s awful. And I can’t believe that she’s managing to run that place all by herself,” Dane said. “What else do you know about her?”
“Not much, really, except that she’s drop-dead gorgeous.”
Dane chuckled. “You got that right.”
“Listen,” Colt went on, “I should call Dillan. He knows the skinny on just about everybody. What do you want to know?”
“Anything and everything. I want to know all about her.”
“I’ll see what I can do, bro. And listen, you take care of yourself. I mean that.”
Dane laughed softly. “I will. I will.”
He got out and opened the gate, imagining what details Dillan might come up with. Was Alexis in a relationship? Was she in some kind of trouble? Did she have a gambling habit that she couldn’t master? His mind whirled with possibilities as he gingerly began to pour out the cattle cubes, careful of his tender ribs.
After dinner, Dane’s phone rang. It was Colt. “Hey, bro. Did you hear from Dillan already?”
“I sure did, and he had a few tidbits on Alexis to share. First of all, the word is that she’s not dating anyone. She had a serious relationship a couple of years ago, but it didn’t end well.”
Interesting. “Okay, thanks. What else?”
“They’re saying around town that she’s had trouble at the bank. That her dad left her in debt, and it doesn’t look so good.”
“Like how much debt? And on what? Does anyone know that?” Damn, this was terrible news. That poor woman.
“Dillan said that was all he could find out. And she is trying to manage the place all by herself. Her grandfather’s arthritis has gotten so bad that he doesn’t get out or drive anymore. The old men at the feed store say that she’s struggling,” Colt said.
“Well, hell.”
“So that’s
“You did great, bud. And, hey, tell Dillan thanks for me.”
Dane went upstairs to his room to think. He still couldn’t figure out what Alexis was doing. She could make, what? $400 a night gambling at the Purple Cow? That wasn’t anything to sneeze at, but it sure didn’t add up to something that a bank would be looking for in a ranch mortgage situation or for a farm equipment loan. He was missing something big here, and he couldn’t figure out what.
He considered the possibilities long into the night, but he was still no nearer to an answer by the morning. Finding out what was going on with Alexis wasn’t just about boredom anymore. It was a puzzle, and he was determined to solve it.
Alexis rushed through the last of the feeding. She’d had to doctor a cow in the Bent Mesquite pasture, and she was running way behind. Skipping dinner should put her at the Purple Cow in time to gather the high-stakes players at her table, though. If she just washed up and skipped her shower, that would save even more time. She couldn’t let this pressure get to her, though. She had to have her head on straight when she dealt the cards. Concentrating was key to her success.
Thirty minutes later, she climbed into her truck and gunned the engine down the ranch drive toward the highway. It was a good twenty-minute drive into town, and she had to force herself to be patient, to drive the speed limit, to control her mind and her breathing.
By the time she pulled up to the bar on Main Street, she was her normal cool, calm, and collected self. She entered the bar and noticed a fiftyish rancher already seated at the table. She breathed a sigh of relief and got a whiskey sour at the bar. Taking her regular seat at the table, she said, “Hey, Dave. Good to see you.”
“I was hoping you’d be here tonight, Alexis,” Dave said with a smile.
“Wouldn’t miss it.” She slid her phone into the pocket of her long-sleeved work shirt. She wore one each night because she didn’t want the other players to think of her as a woman, but as just another player at the table.
“Wayne’ll be back in a minute,” Dave said and took a sip from his glass. He drank expensive whiskey when he played, and a lot of it. Many was the night he’d called his long-suffering wife to come pick him up.
Two down, three to go. She liked playing a table of six. The door opened, and she looked up. Her pulse sped up. Dane Weller stepped through the door and immediately met her gaze. With a nod, he headed for the bar.
Wayne approached the table then, and took his normal seat. “Howdy, Alexis.”
“Hey, Wayne. Good to see you tonight.” She opened a new pack of cards and began to shuffle them as a presence appeared at the edge of her field of vision.
Dane’s deep, clear voice said, “Mind if I join you tonight?”
Heart pounding, she said, “You know the stakes?”
“I do.”
“Take a seat wherever you like, then,” she said with feigned nonchalance. Was he even a good player? Maybe this was a mistake. The other players expected a certain level of expertise at the high-stakes game. And he had that splint on his left arm and hand. Was he left-handed? Would it interfere with his play?
When the man took the chair directly opposite her where she couldn’t help but look at him all night, she inwardly quailed. She’d planned to ignore him as much as possible.
Jim and Evan walked through the door more or less together, and after securing a drink, came over and took their seats.
The two older ranchers glanced at Dane. “Heard you were back in town,” Jim said. “Alexis deals an honest game. Glad you could join us.”
Dane touched the brim of his hat. “Great to see you two again.” He glanced at Alexis and smiled. “And I expected nothing less.”
Her tummy gave a little flutter, and she barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes at her reaction. She wasn’t in high school, and Dane wasn’t the resident rodeo stud anymore. She had to get her act together—and fast.
Thankfully, Carl pushed open the door right then, and she nodded in his direction. “We’re all here. Shall we get started?”
The men shuffled around a bit, making room at the table for another chair. Carl arrived a moment later with his drink. He nodded at Dane. “Howdy, stranger.”
Dane tilted his head slightly. “Carl. Good to see you.”
Alexis dealt, the cards flying from her hands, and with that familiar action, peace settled in her core. Two cards down, one up. She glanced at Dane. He held his cards in his right hand and had a great poker face. The other men at the table had decided tells. Would she discover Dane’s? This would be interesting.
Play continued with the players seeing and sometimes raising as she dealt upcards one after another. Carl was the first to fold. Then Wayne dropped out. Dane was inscrutable and still in play. She dealt the last card down and looked at her cards. Luck was with her. Three queens and two tens. A full house.
She called the bet when it came to her but didn’t raise. Underplaying her hand was a good strategy. It was never optimal to make her winning hurt.
After the bets were in and they’d laid down their cards, she’d won. Dane had a respectable two pair, aces over kings. He would have won if she hadn’t drawn that last queen.
He smiled and tipped his hat. “Well played.”
She nodded, inwardly pleased at his praise. “I got my good luck from my daddy.”
She shuffled and kept her eyes to herself. She hadn’t caught a tell in the previous game, but she’d keep a close eye on Dane in the next hand.
To her surprise, he won the next hand with a deadpan face and without the slightest tell. Despite herself, she was quite impressed. The man could play cards.
For the rest of the night, he continued to surprise her, winning here and there with an ease that caught her off guard at one point. The corner of his mouth had lifted as he’d laid his cards on the table and, damn, she’d been impressed.
When last call came, she found that she’d enjoyed the evening immensely. Challenged for the first time, she’d had to use all her skill to win the hands she had. Although Dane would be taking home nearly $200 by her reckoning, she’d still made a good haul.
As he stood from the table, he met her gaze and asked with a smile, “So, have I worn out my welcome or may I come back tomorrow night?”
Inwardly cursing her racing pulse, she answered, “A good player is always welcome.”
He tipped his hat. “See you tomorrow evening, then.”
He settled his tab and disappeared through the door. That’s when she realized that she’d been staring. Idiot.
If she was going to be facing the handsome, dark-haired cowboy across the table again tomorrow, she’d better whip herself into shape, and damn fast. She wasn’t in the market for a rodeo cowboy. Hell no, she wasn’t. And she had twenty-four hours to remember that.
Chapter Two
Dane returned to play the next evening and the night after that, winning over a hundred dollars each time. He’d played conservatively—he was there more to interact with Alexis than to win big. Now that he knew she was facing some type of financial hardship, he was leery of taking away from her winnings.
He walked into the Purple Cow Thursday evening and saw Alexis in her accustomed place. She nodded at him, the corners of her mouth lifting in the faintest of smiles. He touched his hat as he walked to the bar.
As he ordered a drink, he said, “How’s it going, Carey? Looks like a slow night.”
“Don’t worry. It’ll liven up. It always does,” the young man said and poured Dane his usual Maker’s Mark.
Dane headed over to the table and gave Alexis a lopsided grin. “I’m beginning to think that you live here, woman. Do you ever go home?”
She rolled her eyes. “Like I can’t run cattle and play cards in the same twenty-four hours. What do you take me for? A slacker?”
He chuckled. “Hardly that. I hear you’re running your place by yourself now. That right?”
Her eyes narrowed. “What if it is?”
Oh, that hit a nerve. “Hold on. I didn’t mean to pry. I just wondered if it was true, and if so, if there was some way that I could help.”
