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Synopsis
FIRST LOVE BURNS HOTTER Rainbow Valley, Texas, has always been a refuge for animals, and Shannon North, director of the local shelter, intends to keep it that way. But with donations drying up and more pets in need of a loving home than ever before, Shannon's beginning to fear she's not the savior the shelter needs. When a tall, dark, and handsome cowboy from her past comes to the rescue, she knows that accepting his help may come with a high price: her heart. THE SECOND TIME AROUND Bad boy Luke Dawson shook the dust from this little town off his boots years ago. He walked away from everything . . . except the memory of the one night of passion he shared with Shannon. Now, a few wins away from becoming the world bull-riding champion, Luke's headed for fame and fortune. But then a crisis calls him back to Rainbow Valley, and Luke is reunited with the good girl who stole-and broke-his heart. As their rekindled relationship deepens into desire, old secrets resurface, and Luke must choose between the future he's always dreamed of and the only woman he's ever loved.
Release date: April 30, 2013
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Print pages: 432
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Cowboy Take Me Away
Jane Graves
Chapter 1
Luke Dawson stood alone in the Rainbow Valley cemetery, eyeing the coffin in front of him and feeling not one bit of sorrow. He knew this was a time for tears and prayers, but he hadn’t cried since he was four years old, and he’d stopped saying prayers when he realized nobody on the other end seemed to be listening. As for the man in the coffin, neither tears nor prayers were going to change a thing about where he spent eternity.
Luke heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Father Andrews approaching. He wore the vestments of an Episcopal priest and a solemn expression to match the occasion. When Luke was a teenager, Father Andrews had been new in town, fresh out of seminary and eager to save the world. He’d tried to talk Luke into coming to the youth group at church, and Luke had responded by taking one last drag off his Marlboro, grinding the butt beneath his boot, and telling him to go to hell.
But they were both older now. Painting graffiti on the side of the school building and shoplifting beer from the Pic ’N Go were distant memories for Luke, and the lines etched on Father Andrews’s face said his idealism had dissolved into an outlook that was considerably more realistic. He put a hand on Luke’s arm.
“I’m sorry about your father.”
Luke glanced over his shoulder, seeing nothing but a small scattering of headstones guarded by hundred-year-old red oaks. “It appears you’re the only one.”
“There was no announcement of the service.”
“This is a small town,” Luke said. “People know.”
“When did you last see your father?”
“The day I left Rainbow Valley.”
“You haven’t been back since then?”
“No. Not once.”
“Do you know of any other friends or relatives who may be joining us?”
His father had only a few relatives, but they were so distant Luke hadn’t even bothered to contact them. As for friends, Glenn Dawson didn’t have any. For forty years, he’d been a stain on the fabric of Rainbow Valley, Texas, a spotless tourist town that prided itself on its wholesome image. He’d lived in a run-down house on twenty ragged acres and subsisted on panhandling and disability checks. Luke had never been completely sure of his father’s disability, but he’d managed to con some social worker into believing he couldn’t work. His first stop whenever he received a monthly check had been the liquor store.
And the more he drank, the meaner he got.
“No,” Luke said. “Nobody. Just go ahead and say whatever it is you have to say so we can get this over with.”
Father Andrews opened his Bible and began to read. Luke slipped off his cowboy hat and held it in front of him, more out of respect for Father Andrews than the man in the coffin. Luke just let the priest’s words flow past him, closing his mind to the memories that tried to surface. He only wished they could be buried right along with his father.
Then he heard something behind him. He looked over his shoulder, surprised to see a woman coming up the sidewalk. For a moment he couldn’t place the face, only to have a wave of recognition wash over him.
The last time he’d seen Rita Kaufman, she’d been in charge of the Rainbow Valley Animal Shelter, tossing hay to the horses and manhandling cranky hundred-pound dogs. She looked twenty years older now, even though only eleven years had passed. She leaned on a cane, walking with a slight limp. Her dark hair was more salt than pepper now, and veins stood out sharply on her forearms. But when she finally reached Luke’s side and looked up at him, he was pleased to see blue eyes as steely and determined as ever.
Father Andrews paused, and Luke said, “Mrs. Kaufman. Nice to see you.”
She nodded, then turned to the priest. “Sorry to interrupt, Father. Go on.”
As Father Andrews continued, Luke felt grateful that Mrs. Kaufman had taken the trouble to show up. When he was in high school, she’d given him a job at the shelter when nobody else would hire him. At first she’d been hell to work for, because nobody had ever laid down the law to him like Rita Kaufman. But gradually she’d become the one person in this town he could look up to, and for the first time in his life, he knew what it felt like to have somebody give a damn.
Luke understood there were certain liturgical necessities the priest had to perform, but every minute that passed was painful. In the distance, clouds churned and darkened, joined by the faint rumble of thunder. It would be raining within the hour. After that, a rainbow would probably appear. Luke had always felt the irony of living a gritty, black-and-white life in a town where rainbows appeared more often than just about any other place in the country.
By the time the priest closed his Bible, Luke felt as if a century had passed.
“Thank you, Father,” he said.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” Father Andrews asked.
“No. Nothing.”
He nodded to the coffin. “This will all be taken care of by this evening.”
“I know. I talked to the people here earlier.”
“Well, then.” Father Andrews reached out his hand. “It’s good to see you again. I’m just sorry it’s under these circumstances.”
Luke shook his hand. With a final solemn smile, the priest headed back down the sidewalk.
Mrs. Kaufman turned to Luke. “So are you staying in town for a while?”
“No,” he said, slipping his hat back on. “I have to be at a rodeo in Phoenix day after tomorrow, so I need to get on the road.”
“I’ve been watching the standings. Looks like you’re heading to the World Championship this year.”
So she knew what he’d been up to. Luke wondered if anybody else in this town had been inclined to keep up. He doubted it. It was more likely that they were waiting for his photo to show up on the post office wall.
“Keep your eye on ESPN the first week of November,” Luke said. “You just might see me win the bull riding championship.”
“I’ll be watching.”
If Luke won the championship, endorsements would follow. Hats, jeans, pickup trucks—you name it. More than once he’d fantasized that one of those companies would buy space on the big billboard on the outskirts of Rainbow Valley and splash his face all over it. Then nobody in town would be able to enter the city limits without knowing that the kid they swore would follow in his father’s footsteps had actually made something of himself.
Luke glanced at the coffin one last time, waiting for some kind of emotion to overtake him, but all he seemed to be able to feel was relief. He and Mrs. Kaufman turned and made their way down the sidewalk toward the cemetery entrance.
“So how are things at the shelter?” Luke asked.
“Good, I hear. I’m not there anymore. This damned stroke. Had to retire.”
So that was it. Luke figured it had to be something pretty substantial to slow Rita Kaufman down.
“Are you married?” she asked as they walked.
“Nope.”
“Girlfriend?”
He smiled furtively. “Several.”
“Ever think about settling down?”
“It’s hard to settle down when I’m in a different town every week. But it’ll be worth it when I win the big one.”
“What then?”
“Guess I’ll have to figure out what to do with all that money.” They stopped by the cemetery gate. “Thanks for coming. I appreciate it.”
“I’m sorry about your father.”
Luke knew her condolences weren’t just about his father’s death. They were also about his life. And Luke was damned sorry about that himself. An unseasonably cool breeze swirled around him, accompanied by a rumble of thunder, and he had the most unnerving feeling that his father had stepped up to take one last swing at him before heading to whatever afterlife was waiting.
Luke had grown up with the knowledge that he was nothing but a rock around his father’s neck, a kid dropped on his father’s doorstep by a woman even more disreputable than he was. She’d been a mother only by the broadest definition of the word, a woman who’d decided a two-year-old was just a little too much to handle between turning tricks and soaking herself in alcohol. His father heard she died years later, giving him an unneeded reason to pop open another bottle of whiskey.
“I’m glad he’s gone,” Luke said. “You suppose I’m going to hell for that?”
Mrs. Kaufman lifted her shoulder in a tiny shrug. “Nah. You did enough time in hell when you were a kid. I’m thinking maybe that gives you a free pass to heaven.”
“Nice to know. Now I can act up all I want to.”
“Don’t get cocky. Whatever the Lord gives, the Lord can take away.”
Luke smiled briefly. Then his smile faded. “You know that bull riding championship?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to win it.”
Mrs. Kaufman’s steely blue eyes softened. “You know what, Luke? I believe you.” She paused. “And I hope that’s the thing that finally makes you happy.”
Luke felt an odd twinge when she said that. Then he brushed off the feeling and gave her a smile. “A man doesn’t get much happier than I am right now.”
He wasn’t lying. Nothing thrilled him more than the prospect of being at the top of his game. In three months, the championship would be his and he’d have everything he’d ever dreamed of.
Luke felt a drop or two of rain. He looked at the sky and realized the storm was moving in faster than he’d thought.
“Where are you heading?” he asked Mrs. Kaufman.
“Rosie’s. Meeting a friend for lunch. It was a nice day, so I walked from the square. I should know better than that by now, shouldn’t I? Nice days around here can turn to rainstorms before you know it.”
“If you walk back, you’re liable to get drenched,” Luke said. “Let me drive you.”
Knowing Mrs. Kaufman, she’d tell him she could most certainly walk a few blocks by herself, rain or no rain. Instead, she said she’d appreciate the ride, and he helped her into his truck. Her stroke had clearly forced some realities on her she’d never had to face before.
As he drove the two blocks to the town square, the storm kicked up, and by the time Luke pulled into a parking space in front of Rosie’s, his windshield wipers were on high. He waited for a small break in the downpour before helping Mrs. Kaufman into the café.
The place hadn’t changed much. It had the same black and white tiled floor, the same red vinyl booths. Photos in cheap frames lined most of the walls, showing various Texas politicians, minor celebrities, and other VIPs who’d dropped in over the years to try Rosie’s barbecue and chicken-fried steak. Families with squirming kids were scattered at tables, their cameras and shopping bags from Lola’s Pet Emporium screaming tourist loud and clear. A couple of men sat at the Formica-topped counter, sipping coffee and reading the paper. One waitress chatted with another at the end of the counter, both of them wearing tank tops, jeans, and pink bib aprons that said Rosie’s Café: Pets Welcome, People Tolerated.
Then one of the waitresses turned and saw Luke. She froze for a moment, her eyes growing big. She turned to the other waitress, and he could read her lips from across the room.
Look! That’s Luke Dawson!
It took him a few seconds to recognize her. First name Bobbie, last name…he couldn’t remember. She’d been a year ahead of him at Rainbow Valley High, one of those girls who thought about sex first and her reputation second, who would have gotten horizontal with him in a heartbeat if only he’d said the word. He found it a little pitiful that she was still there eleven years later, waiting tables for lousy tips.
Get out of this town, he wanted to shout. There’s a whole world out there! Go now, while you still can!
But he knew his advice would be lost on her. She already had that bright, gossipy glint in her eyes, and five minutes after he left, she was going to be telling everyone she knew that he was back to stir up trouble all over again.
It was definitely time to go.
Luke said good-bye to Mrs. Kaufman and turned to leave, only to have something familiar catch his eye. He turned back, focusing on a woman sitting in a booth along the back wall, her head bowed as she read the menu. Just the sight of her made every nerve in his body tighten, and for a moment he could barely breathe. Memories collided with each other so fast and so wildly it felt as if a dozen DVDs were playing inside his head all at once.
No. It couldn’t be. Shannon North?
He told himself it had to be somebody else, that his eyes had to be playing tricks on him. But even though eleven years had passed and adolescent memories were untrustworthy things, still there was no doubt about it.
It was Shannon.
She wore jeans and a T-shirt, and she’d pulled her dark hair into a ponytail at the crown of her head, just as she had all those years ago when they’d worked together at the shelter. But the tall, gangly girl he remembered was gone. As pretty as she’d been back then, it had merely hinted at the beauty she was waiting to grow into.
And boy, had she ever grown into it.
Until he walked into this café, his memory of her had been blurry around the edges, growing more colorless as time passed, like a photograph fading away. Now he was flung back eleven years to a sizzling summer night when his emotions had run so hot he’d practically incinerated on the spot. She was the girl he’d wanted beyond all reason, the girl who gave him a feeling of worth for the first time in his life. Then came the night everything fell apart, leaving him broken and aching inside. It was a lesson he’d never forgotten.
An enormous brindle-coated Great Dane sat on the floor beside Shannon, nervously alert. Just then there was a loud clap of thunder, and he leaped up and scurried under the table. Shannon just stroked her foot along his side as she continued to look at the menu.
It didn’t surprise Luke to see a dog in the café, not when Rainbow Valley advertised itself as the most pet-friendly town in America. And it didn’t surprise him that the dog was with Shannon. There were animal lovers, and then there was Shannon North. But it wasn’t excessive puppy-petting that set her apart. She had no bleeding heart to get in the way of common sense. Just a deeply ingrained belief that every creature that walked the earth deserved a break.
“She’s the friend I’m meeting for lunch,” Mrs. Kaufman said.
Luke snapped out of his trance. “She lives here now?”
“She took over for me at the shelter two years ago.”
Luke couldn’t believe it. He’d thought surely she lived hundreds of miles away, taking advantage of all the opportunities she’d had that he could never have hoped for. Yet here she was having lunch at Rosie’s as if time had stood still.
“She went to the University of Texas,” Rita said. “Got her accounting degree and moved to Houston. I stole her away from a public accounting firm. Their loss.”
So Shannon had done everything she said she was going to do—college, professional degree, high-powered job, only to move back to Rainbow Valley. Her life in Houston had to have been a good one, way better than what this dinky little town could offer. So why in the world would she want to come back here?
A possible answer came with his next heartbeat. For a man, maybe?
“And no, she’s not married,” Rita said, as if she’d read his mind.
Just then Shannon closed her menu and turned toward the door, and Luke knew the exact moment she saw him. Her eyes widened, recognition lighting her face. For a split second, he imagined her smiling. Waving. Something. But just as quickly, she turned her attention back to her menu, studying it as if she didn’t already have it memorized.
So many times during the past several years, Luke wondered what it would be like if he ever saw Shannon again. In his heart, though, he knew. She would ignore him as if she hadn’t even seen him. Still, her instantaneous dismissal felt like a knife right to his heart, and for a moment the pain was as sharp as it had been all those years ago.
He brushed it aside, telling himself he’d put this place behind him. Put her behind him. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t tempted to walk right across this café and slide into the booth beside her, just so he could watch her flustered face as she tried to reconcile her eleven-year-old memory with the flesh-and-blood man sitting beside her.
“Why don’t you join us for lunch?” Mrs. Kaufman said.
Luke nearly choked. Was she serious? “That wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“I’m pretty good at reading body language,” he said, nodding in Shannon’s direction. “She’s hoping I’ll turn around and walk right out of here.”
“Oh, no. I don’t think—”
“Oh, yes, ma’am. And as much as I appreciate the invitation, I’m going to do just that.”
“I should have told you earlier,” Mrs. Kaufman said. “She sends her condolences.”
“Oh, yeah? So why didn’t she deliver them in person?”
Mrs. Kaufman paused. “It’s not my place to answer that. I’m just passing on the message.”
“Then you can consider it passed on,” Luke said. “Good-bye, Mrs. Kaufman. And thanks again. For everything.”
Before she could say another word, he left the café. The rain was letting up, but it still dripped from the brim of his hat as he hurried to his truck. He had one last stop to make before leaving town—the real estate office. It was time to find out what he needed to do to get his father’s property sold so once he left this place again, he’d never have to come back. But as he started to get into his truck, compulsion drove him to turn back and look through the window into the café.
Shannon was watching him.
After a moment, she tilted her head and he saw her lips move, forming words he’d never expected to see.
I’m sorry.
For several seconds, Luke couldn’t tear his gaze away. Maybe the rain drizzling down the glass had made him see things that weren’t really there. But if she had said those words, exactly what did they mean? Was she sympathizing?
Or apologizing?
He didn’t care. If it was sympathy, he didn’t need it, and if it was an apology, it was about eleven years too late.
He got into his truck, refusing to look back again as he drove away. Shannon belonged only in his memories, distant ones that were going to stay buried, now and forever.
Chapter 2
Shannon watched through the window as Luke drove away, averting her eyes only when his truck had disappeared from sight. Without thinking, she picked up her menu again, only to realize her hands were sweating. It was as if time had circled around and they were back in high school again, and memories that had faded with time suddenly came into sharp focus.
Even as a teenager, Luke had been tall and imposing, looking older than his years, but now he seemed to command a room just by walking through the door. His swagger had settled into the measured steps of a man who had ceased to live every moment as if he had something to prove. And eleven more years on his already-handsome face only made him that much more attractive. But what was between her and Luke had always been about more than simple attraction.
So much more.
She’d had a connection with him unlike anything she’d felt before, and she trembled with the thought of it now. She tried to tell herself in the years that followed that they’d only been kids, so realistically it couldn’t have meant that much. But no man since had made her feel the way Luke had, as if the sun rose and set only because she lived and breathed. He accepted everything she was and asked for nothing more, and for a few precious weeks during that long, hot summer, he’d made her feel warm and cherished in a way she never had before.
Then came the night that changed everything—the night that drove Luke from Rainbow Valley and left Shannon with a feeling of guilt and regret she’d never been able to shake.
Rita hobbled to the booth and sat down across from her. Shannon picked up her menu again, trying to get a grip.
“Storm came on fast, didn’t it?” Shannon said, still having a hard time breathing. And her heart—good Lord, how fast could it beat before she passed out?
“Sure did.”
“But the heavy rain didn’t last more than a few minutes. It’s going to take more than that to break this drought.”
“Yeah. It will.”
“A drought in Rainbow Valley,” Shannon said, hoping her voice wasn’t quavering. “When’s the last time that happened?”
“I don’t remember.”
“The back pasture is dry as dust. If we don’t get more rain soon—”
“Are you actually going to act as if you didn’t just see Luke Dawson?”
Shannon closed the menu, letting out a deep breath of resignation. Just seeing him had stunned her. She couldn’t imagine what she would have done if he’d come over. Would she have been able to stop herself from reaching out to touch him, just to convince herself it really was Luke?
And what would he have done if she had?
“I conveyed your condolences,” Rita said. “He wondered why you didn’t offer them in person.”
Luke hadn’t announced the service, but everybody in town knew when it was going to be anyway, including her. She’d fought with herself for days, trying to decide whether to go or not. But after what had happened between them, she just couldn’t bear the thought of facing him again.
“I just thought it was best if I didn’t,” Shannon said. “Who else showed up?”
“It was just me and Father Andrews.”
Shannon closed her eyes, an unexpected tremor of sadness passing through her. No matter what had happened between them, she still hated the idea of Luke standing at his father’s graveside, feeling as alone now as he had back then. But would it have helped for her to be there? Or would it have just dredged up feelings that were better off staying where they were?
“So where is he heading now?” Shannon asked.
“To a rodeo in Phoenix. Did you know he’s going to be competing in the World Championship bull riding competition in November?”
Shannon blinked. “No. I didn’t know that.”
“Yep. And he swears he’s going to win.”
Shannon couldn’t believe it. Luke Dawson? A bull riding champion? Then again, what did that take? Just a tremendous amount of physical ability, and Luke had never been lacking in that.
Shannon sighed. “Maybe I should have gone to the funeral.”
Rita thought about that for a moment. Then she shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s best just to let sleeping dogs lie.” She peered under the table at Goliath, who was still trembling. “Speaking of dogs, how’s this one doing?”
“Better. He can finally look at his own shadow without quivering, but thunder still scares him.”
Somebody had found him and dropped him off at the shelter several months ago, shivering and starving. Shannon didn’t know exactly what he’d been through, but his fear of sudden movements and loud noises gave her a pretty good idea. But if he’d been healthy and well-adjusted, he wouldn’t have landed on her doorstep in the first place.
“I thought if I called him Goliath, maybe he’d live up to the name,” Shannon said. “But so far, no. He’s such a sweet dog, though. He’ll come around.”
Bobbie came around to take their order. Rita went for her usual BLT, but Shannon decided to try Rosie’s new avocado and bacon burger. In Rainbow Valley, change came around about as often as Halley’s Comet, so she embraced it whenever she could.
“So how are things going with you and Russell?” Rita said. “I see you around town together every once in a while.”
“Good. We’re taking things slow.”
“Slow? Whose choice was that?”
“It’s mutual.”
“Mutual?” Rita made a scoffing noise. “I saw you having coffee a week ago. You might be taking it slow, but Russell wishes he already had a ring on your finger.”
Shannon slumped with frustration. “What in the world makes you say that?”
“Well, let’s just say you spent the whole time admiring the pretty foam pattern in your latte, and he spent the whole time admiring you.”
That was probably true. Sometimes she didn’t get why Russell was so interested in her when he could have just about any woman in town. As soon as he’d moved to Rainbow Valley and set up his dental practice, every woman of marriageable age had suddenly decided they’d put off that filling or crown long enough and it was time to get it fixed. But Russell had looked past all of them. Instead, he came to the shelter to adopt a cat and ended up asking Shannon out. They’d dated on and off since, though it was clear to Shannon that Russell would prefer it to be more on than off.
Shannon sighed. “I’m just not ready for the kind of relationship he is.”
“Then for God’s sake, stick to your guns. Don’t get roped into marriage if it’s not what you want.”
And if there was ever an expert on not getting married, it was Rita. She’d had three proposals over the years, and every time she’d made a list of pros and cons. When the cons won by a landslide, she’d continued to embrace single womanhood. Shannon had the feeling sometimes that she was destined to be like Rita in more ways than one.
“So how are things at the shelter?” Rita asked. “It’s been a little while since I’ve been out there.”
“About the same. It always feels as if we’re one minor disaster away from closing the doors.”
“Sorry. That’s the name of the game when you’re dependent on donations and fund-raisers. That Texas Monthly article about the shelter came out last week. What happened with that?”
“Our phone rang off the hook.”
“Good! Lots of donations?”
“Nope. Lots of people with homeless animals they wanted to bring us.”
Rita sighed. “That’s the problem with PR. Sometimes you get the wrong result.”
“They tell us how wonderful we are, and that’s really nice, but it doesn’t put food in bowls and buckets.”
“Sometimes you have to say no.”
“I have a hard time doing that.”
“If you don’t, the place will eventually go under. And then you won’t be able to help any of them.”
Shannon knew Rita was right. But if she didn’t take some of these animals in, nobody else was going to. Every time somebody came in looking for an animal to adopt, she was tempted to say, Great! I have a dog with three legs, two bad-tempered cats, and a llama with a spitting issue. Which one would you like?
“How’s the hunt going for a new caretaker?” Rita asked.
Shannon sighed. “Not good. I hired a guy last week I thought was going to work out. Unfortunately, he didn’t bother to mention his drug problem.”
“Any other candidates?”
“Not for the salary I can pay.”
“But it includes living accommodations.”
“A room with a twin bed, a mini-fridge, a microwave, and a tiny bathroom. Not exactly the Ritz-Carlton.” She sighed. “It makes me really nervous if I don’t have somebody there around the clock. We always have animals recovering from all kinds of things. They need more attention than they’re getting.”
“Which means you’re staying late and working yourself silly. Why don’t you hire a couple more high school kids? At least they can take up the slack with the routine stuff.”
“I tried that. Except for Angela, most of the part-time kids I’ve hired just want to pet the puppies. Freddie Jo is helping out, but it’s not her job to clean out dog kennels. I need her in the front office. The volunteers help, but they come and go.”
“Somebody will come along.”
Shannon hoped so. As much as she loved the shelter, the twelve-hour days were about to finish her off.
Rita eyed her carefully. “Are you sorry you came back to Rainbow Valley?”
“What? Sorry?” Shannon shook her head. “No. Absolutely not.”
“You had a good career. Sometimes I feel guilty luring you back here.”
“Luring me at the salary I’m making?” Shannon smiled. “Sorry, Rita. But that wasn’t much of a lure.”
“I know. You don’t give a damn about the money. The lure was telling you the animals needed you. Because of that, you gave up a career you worked really hard to have.”
“If I hadn’t wanted to come back here, wild horses couldn’t have dragged me. Even crazy, dysfunctional, unadoptable ones.” She smiled. “And don’t worry. I’m going to keep that place running if it kills me.”
“You and Luke,” Rita said. “You’re more alike than you realize.”
Shannon’s heart jumped when Rita mentioned his name again. “Come on, Rita. You know there are no two people on the planet more different from each other than Luke and I.”
“I used to think maybe that was true. Not so much anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“Once you get your teeth into something, you don’t let go till it thunders.”
“And how does Luke fit that description?”
“He’s on the verge of winning the World Championship bull riding competition. You don’t get there by showing up only when you feel like it. You get there by wanting it so badly there’s nothing you won’t do to get it.”
Shannon hadn’t considered that. Maybe it was more than physical ability that got a man to the top of the rodeo world, which meant that maybe there was more these days to Luke Dawson than she ever could have imagined.
It didn’t matter, though. Now that his father was gone, Luke’s last tie to Rainbow Valley had been severed, so she couldn’t
Luke Dawson stood alone in the Rainbow Valley cemetery, eyeing the coffin in front of him and feeling not one bit of sorrow. He knew this was a time for tears and prayers, but he hadn’t cried since he was four years old, and he’d stopped saying prayers when he realized nobody on the other end seemed to be listening. As for the man in the coffin, neither tears nor prayers were going to change a thing about where he spent eternity.
Luke heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Father Andrews approaching. He wore the vestments of an Episcopal priest and a solemn expression to match the occasion. When Luke was a teenager, Father Andrews had been new in town, fresh out of seminary and eager to save the world. He’d tried to talk Luke into coming to the youth group at church, and Luke had responded by taking one last drag off his Marlboro, grinding the butt beneath his boot, and telling him to go to hell.
But they were both older now. Painting graffiti on the side of the school building and shoplifting beer from the Pic ’N Go were distant memories for Luke, and the lines etched on Father Andrews’s face said his idealism had dissolved into an outlook that was considerably more realistic. He put a hand on Luke’s arm.
“I’m sorry about your father.”
Luke glanced over his shoulder, seeing nothing but a small scattering of headstones guarded by hundred-year-old red oaks. “It appears you’re the only one.”
“There was no announcement of the service.”
“This is a small town,” Luke said. “People know.”
“When did you last see your father?”
“The day I left Rainbow Valley.”
“You haven’t been back since then?”
“No. Not once.”
“Do you know of any other friends or relatives who may be joining us?”
His father had only a few relatives, but they were so distant Luke hadn’t even bothered to contact them. As for friends, Glenn Dawson didn’t have any. For forty years, he’d been a stain on the fabric of Rainbow Valley, Texas, a spotless tourist town that prided itself on its wholesome image. He’d lived in a run-down house on twenty ragged acres and subsisted on panhandling and disability checks. Luke had never been completely sure of his father’s disability, but he’d managed to con some social worker into believing he couldn’t work. His first stop whenever he received a monthly check had been the liquor store.
And the more he drank, the meaner he got.
“No,” Luke said. “Nobody. Just go ahead and say whatever it is you have to say so we can get this over with.”
Father Andrews opened his Bible and began to read. Luke slipped off his cowboy hat and held it in front of him, more out of respect for Father Andrews than the man in the coffin. Luke just let the priest’s words flow past him, closing his mind to the memories that tried to surface. He only wished they could be buried right along with his father.
Then he heard something behind him. He looked over his shoulder, surprised to see a woman coming up the sidewalk. For a moment he couldn’t place the face, only to have a wave of recognition wash over him.
The last time he’d seen Rita Kaufman, she’d been in charge of the Rainbow Valley Animal Shelter, tossing hay to the horses and manhandling cranky hundred-pound dogs. She looked twenty years older now, even though only eleven years had passed. She leaned on a cane, walking with a slight limp. Her dark hair was more salt than pepper now, and veins stood out sharply on her forearms. But when she finally reached Luke’s side and looked up at him, he was pleased to see blue eyes as steely and determined as ever.
Father Andrews paused, and Luke said, “Mrs. Kaufman. Nice to see you.”
She nodded, then turned to the priest. “Sorry to interrupt, Father. Go on.”
As Father Andrews continued, Luke felt grateful that Mrs. Kaufman had taken the trouble to show up. When he was in high school, she’d given him a job at the shelter when nobody else would hire him. At first she’d been hell to work for, because nobody had ever laid down the law to him like Rita Kaufman. But gradually she’d become the one person in this town he could look up to, and for the first time in his life, he knew what it felt like to have somebody give a damn.
Luke understood there were certain liturgical necessities the priest had to perform, but every minute that passed was painful. In the distance, clouds churned and darkened, joined by the faint rumble of thunder. It would be raining within the hour. After that, a rainbow would probably appear. Luke had always felt the irony of living a gritty, black-and-white life in a town where rainbows appeared more often than just about any other place in the country.
By the time the priest closed his Bible, Luke felt as if a century had passed.
“Thank you, Father,” he said.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” Father Andrews asked.
“No. Nothing.”
He nodded to the coffin. “This will all be taken care of by this evening.”
“I know. I talked to the people here earlier.”
“Well, then.” Father Andrews reached out his hand. “It’s good to see you again. I’m just sorry it’s under these circumstances.”
Luke shook his hand. With a final solemn smile, the priest headed back down the sidewalk.
Mrs. Kaufman turned to Luke. “So are you staying in town for a while?”
“No,” he said, slipping his hat back on. “I have to be at a rodeo in Phoenix day after tomorrow, so I need to get on the road.”
“I’ve been watching the standings. Looks like you’re heading to the World Championship this year.”
So she knew what he’d been up to. Luke wondered if anybody else in this town had been inclined to keep up. He doubted it. It was more likely that they were waiting for his photo to show up on the post office wall.
“Keep your eye on ESPN the first week of November,” Luke said. “You just might see me win the bull riding championship.”
“I’ll be watching.”
If Luke won the championship, endorsements would follow. Hats, jeans, pickup trucks—you name it. More than once he’d fantasized that one of those companies would buy space on the big billboard on the outskirts of Rainbow Valley and splash his face all over it. Then nobody in town would be able to enter the city limits without knowing that the kid they swore would follow in his father’s footsteps had actually made something of himself.
Luke glanced at the coffin one last time, waiting for some kind of emotion to overtake him, but all he seemed to be able to feel was relief. He and Mrs. Kaufman turned and made their way down the sidewalk toward the cemetery entrance.
“So how are things at the shelter?” Luke asked.
“Good, I hear. I’m not there anymore. This damned stroke. Had to retire.”
So that was it. Luke figured it had to be something pretty substantial to slow Rita Kaufman down.
“Are you married?” she asked as they walked.
“Nope.”
“Girlfriend?”
He smiled furtively. “Several.”
“Ever think about settling down?”
“It’s hard to settle down when I’m in a different town every week. But it’ll be worth it when I win the big one.”
“What then?”
“Guess I’ll have to figure out what to do with all that money.” They stopped by the cemetery gate. “Thanks for coming. I appreciate it.”
“I’m sorry about your father.”
Luke knew her condolences weren’t just about his father’s death. They were also about his life. And Luke was damned sorry about that himself. An unseasonably cool breeze swirled around him, accompanied by a rumble of thunder, and he had the most unnerving feeling that his father had stepped up to take one last swing at him before heading to whatever afterlife was waiting.
Luke had grown up with the knowledge that he was nothing but a rock around his father’s neck, a kid dropped on his father’s doorstep by a woman even more disreputable than he was. She’d been a mother only by the broadest definition of the word, a woman who’d decided a two-year-old was just a little too much to handle between turning tricks and soaking herself in alcohol. His father heard she died years later, giving him an unneeded reason to pop open another bottle of whiskey.
“I’m glad he’s gone,” Luke said. “You suppose I’m going to hell for that?”
Mrs. Kaufman lifted her shoulder in a tiny shrug. “Nah. You did enough time in hell when you were a kid. I’m thinking maybe that gives you a free pass to heaven.”
“Nice to know. Now I can act up all I want to.”
“Don’t get cocky. Whatever the Lord gives, the Lord can take away.”
Luke smiled briefly. Then his smile faded. “You know that bull riding championship?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to win it.”
Mrs. Kaufman’s steely blue eyes softened. “You know what, Luke? I believe you.” She paused. “And I hope that’s the thing that finally makes you happy.”
Luke felt an odd twinge when she said that. Then he brushed off the feeling and gave her a smile. “A man doesn’t get much happier than I am right now.”
He wasn’t lying. Nothing thrilled him more than the prospect of being at the top of his game. In three months, the championship would be his and he’d have everything he’d ever dreamed of.
Luke felt a drop or two of rain. He looked at the sky and realized the storm was moving in faster than he’d thought.
“Where are you heading?” he asked Mrs. Kaufman.
“Rosie’s. Meeting a friend for lunch. It was a nice day, so I walked from the square. I should know better than that by now, shouldn’t I? Nice days around here can turn to rainstorms before you know it.”
“If you walk back, you’re liable to get drenched,” Luke said. “Let me drive you.”
Knowing Mrs. Kaufman, she’d tell him she could most certainly walk a few blocks by herself, rain or no rain. Instead, she said she’d appreciate the ride, and he helped her into his truck. Her stroke had clearly forced some realities on her she’d never had to face before.
As he drove the two blocks to the town square, the storm kicked up, and by the time Luke pulled into a parking space in front of Rosie’s, his windshield wipers were on high. He waited for a small break in the downpour before helping Mrs. Kaufman into the café.
The place hadn’t changed much. It had the same black and white tiled floor, the same red vinyl booths. Photos in cheap frames lined most of the walls, showing various Texas politicians, minor celebrities, and other VIPs who’d dropped in over the years to try Rosie’s barbecue and chicken-fried steak. Families with squirming kids were scattered at tables, their cameras and shopping bags from Lola’s Pet Emporium screaming tourist loud and clear. A couple of men sat at the Formica-topped counter, sipping coffee and reading the paper. One waitress chatted with another at the end of the counter, both of them wearing tank tops, jeans, and pink bib aprons that said Rosie’s Café: Pets Welcome, People Tolerated.
Then one of the waitresses turned and saw Luke. She froze for a moment, her eyes growing big. She turned to the other waitress, and he could read her lips from across the room.
Look! That’s Luke Dawson!
It took him a few seconds to recognize her. First name Bobbie, last name…he couldn’t remember. She’d been a year ahead of him at Rainbow Valley High, one of those girls who thought about sex first and her reputation second, who would have gotten horizontal with him in a heartbeat if only he’d said the word. He found it a little pitiful that she was still there eleven years later, waiting tables for lousy tips.
Get out of this town, he wanted to shout. There’s a whole world out there! Go now, while you still can!
But he knew his advice would be lost on her. She already had that bright, gossipy glint in her eyes, and five minutes after he left, she was going to be telling everyone she knew that he was back to stir up trouble all over again.
It was definitely time to go.
Luke said good-bye to Mrs. Kaufman and turned to leave, only to have something familiar catch his eye. He turned back, focusing on a woman sitting in a booth along the back wall, her head bowed as she read the menu. Just the sight of her made every nerve in his body tighten, and for a moment he could barely breathe. Memories collided with each other so fast and so wildly it felt as if a dozen DVDs were playing inside his head all at once.
No. It couldn’t be. Shannon North?
He told himself it had to be somebody else, that his eyes had to be playing tricks on him. But even though eleven years had passed and adolescent memories were untrustworthy things, still there was no doubt about it.
It was Shannon.
She wore jeans and a T-shirt, and she’d pulled her dark hair into a ponytail at the crown of her head, just as she had all those years ago when they’d worked together at the shelter. But the tall, gangly girl he remembered was gone. As pretty as she’d been back then, it had merely hinted at the beauty she was waiting to grow into.
And boy, had she ever grown into it.
Until he walked into this café, his memory of her had been blurry around the edges, growing more colorless as time passed, like a photograph fading away. Now he was flung back eleven years to a sizzling summer night when his emotions had run so hot he’d practically incinerated on the spot. She was the girl he’d wanted beyond all reason, the girl who gave him a feeling of worth for the first time in his life. Then came the night everything fell apart, leaving him broken and aching inside. It was a lesson he’d never forgotten.
An enormous brindle-coated Great Dane sat on the floor beside Shannon, nervously alert. Just then there was a loud clap of thunder, and he leaped up and scurried under the table. Shannon just stroked her foot along his side as she continued to look at the menu.
It didn’t surprise Luke to see a dog in the café, not when Rainbow Valley advertised itself as the most pet-friendly town in America. And it didn’t surprise him that the dog was with Shannon. There were animal lovers, and then there was Shannon North. But it wasn’t excessive puppy-petting that set her apart. She had no bleeding heart to get in the way of common sense. Just a deeply ingrained belief that every creature that walked the earth deserved a break.
“She’s the friend I’m meeting for lunch,” Mrs. Kaufman said.
Luke snapped out of his trance. “She lives here now?”
“She took over for me at the shelter two years ago.”
Luke couldn’t believe it. He’d thought surely she lived hundreds of miles away, taking advantage of all the opportunities she’d had that he could never have hoped for. Yet here she was having lunch at Rosie’s as if time had stood still.
“She went to the University of Texas,” Rita said. “Got her accounting degree and moved to Houston. I stole her away from a public accounting firm. Their loss.”
So Shannon had done everything she said she was going to do—college, professional degree, high-powered job, only to move back to Rainbow Valley. Her life in Houston had to have been a good one, way better than what this dinky little town could offer. So why in the world would she want to come back here?
A possible answer came with his next heartbeat. For a man, maybe?
“And no, she’s not married,” Rita said, as if she’d read his mind.
Just then Shannon closed her menu and turned toward the door, and Luke knew the exact moment she saw him. Her eyes widened, recognition lighting her face. For a split second, he imagined her smiling. Waving. Something. But just as quickly, she turned her attention back to her menu, studying it as if she didn’t already have it memorized.
So many times during the past several years, Luke wondered what it would be like if he ever saw Shannon again. In his heart, though, he knew. She would ignore him as if she hadn’t even seen him. Still, her instantaneous dismissal felt like a knife right to his heart, and for a moment the pain was as sharp as it had been all those years ago.
He brushed it aside, telling himself he’d put this place behind him. Put her behind him. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t tempted to walk right across this café and slide into the booth beside her, just so he could watch her flustered face as she tried to reconcile her eleven-year-old memory with the flesh-and-blood man sitting beside her.
“Why don’t you join us for lunch?” Mrs. Kaufman said.
Luke nearly choked. Was she serious? “That wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“I’m pretty good at reading body language,” he said, nodding in Shannon’s direction. “She’s hoping I’ll turn around and walk right out of here.”
“Oh, no. I don’t think—”
“Oh, yes, ma’am. And as much as I appreciate the invitation, I’m going to do just that.”
“I should have told you earlier,” Mrs. Kaufman said. “She sends her condolences.”
“Oh, yeah? So why didn’t she deliver them in person?”
Mrs. Kaufman paused. “It’s not my place to answer that. I’m just passing on the message.”
“Then you can consider it passed on,” Luke said. “Good-bye, Mrs. Kaufman. And thanks again. For everything.”
Before she could say another word, he left the café. The rain was letting up, but it still dripped from the brim of his hat as he hurried to his truck. He had one last stop to make before leaving town—the real estate office. It was time to find out what he needed to do to get his father’s property sold so once he left this place again, he’d never have to come back. But as he started to get into his truck, compulsion drove him to turn back and look through the window into the café.
Shannon was watching him.
After a moment, she tilted her head and he saw her lips move, forming words he’d never expected to see.
I’m sorry.
For several seconds, Luke couldn’t tear his gaze away. Maybe the rain drizzling down the glass had made him see things that weren’t really there. But if she had said those words, exactly what did they mean? Was she sympathizing?
Or apologizing?
He didn’t care. If it was sympathy, he didn’t need it, and if it was an apology, it was about eleven years too late.
He got into his truck, refusing to look back again as he drove away. Shannon belonged only in his memories, distant ones that were going to stay buried, now and forever.
Chapter 2
Shannon watched through the window as Luke drove away, averting her eyes only when his truck had disappeared from sight. Without thinking, she picked up her menu again, only to realize her hands were sweating. It was as if time had circled around and they were back in high school again, and memories that had faded with time suddenly came into sharp focus.
Even as a teenager, Luke had been tall and imposing, looking older than his years, but now he seemed to command a room just by walking through the door. His swagger had settled into the measured steps of a man who had ceased to live every moment as if he had something to prove. And eleven more years on his already-handsome face only made him that much more attractive. But what was between her and Luke had always been about more than simple attraction.
So much more.
She’d had a connection with him unlike anything she’d felt before, and she trembled with the thought of it now. She tried to tell herself in the years that followed that they’d only been kids, so realistically it couldn’t have meant that much. But no man since had made her feel the way Luke had, as if the sun rose and set only because she lived and breathed. He accepted everything she was and asked for nothing more, and for a few precious weeks during that long, hot summer, he’d made her feel warm and cherished in a way she never had before.
Then came the night that changed everything—the night that drove Luke from Rainbow Valley and left Shannon with a feeling of guilt and regret she’d never been able to shake.
Rita hobbled to the booth and sat down across from her. Shannon picked up her menu again, trying to get a grip.
“Storm came on fast, didn’t it?” Shannon said, still having a hard time breathing. And her heart—good Lord, how fast could it beat before she passed out?
“Sure did.”
“But the heavy rain didn’t last more than a few minutes. It’s going to take more than that to break this drought.”
“Yeah. It will.”
“A drought in Rainbow Valley,” Shannon said, hoping her voice wasn’t quavering. “When’s the last time that happened?”
“I don’t remember.”
“The back pasture is dry as dust. If we don’t get more rain soon—”
“Are you actually going to act as if you didn’t just see Luke Dawson?”
Shannon closed the menu, letting out a deep breath of resignation. Just seeing him had stunned her. She couldn’t imagine what she would have done if he’d come over. Would she have been able to stop herself from reaching out to touch him, just to convince herself it really was Luke?
And what would he have done if she had?
“I conveyed your condolences,” Rita said. “He wondered why you didn’t offer them in person.”
Luke hadn’t announced the service, but everybody in town knew when it was going to be anyway, including her. She’d fought with herself for days, trying to decide whether to go or not. But after what had happened between them, she just couldn’t bear the thought of facing him again.
“I just thought it was best if I didn’t,” Shannon said. “Who else showed up?”
“It was just me and Father Andrews.”
Shannon closed her eyes, an unexpected tremor of sadness passing through her. No matter what had happened between them, she still hated the idea of Luke standing at his father’s graveside, feeling as alone now as he had back then. But would it have helped for her to be there? Or would it have just dredged up feelings that were better off staying where they were?
“So where is he heading now?” Shannon asked.
“To a rodeo in Phoenix. Did you know he’s going to be competing in the World Championship bull riding competition in November?”
Shannon blinked. “No. I didn’t know that.”
“Yep. And he swears he’s going to win.”
Shannon couldn’t believe it. Luke Dawson? A bull riding champion? Then again, what did that take? Just a tremendous amount of physical ability, and Luke had never been lacking in that.
Shannon sighed. “Maybe I should have gone to the funeral.”
Rita thought about that for a moment. Then she shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s best just to let sleeping dogs lie.” She peered under the table at Goliath, who was still trembling. “Speaking of dogs, how’s this one doing?”
“Better. He can finally look at his own shadow without quivering, but thunder still scares him.”
Somebody had found him and dropped him off at the shelter several months ago, shivering and starving. Shannon didn’t know exactly what he’d been through, but his fear of sudden movements and loud noises gave her a pretty good idea. But if he’d been healthy and well-adjusted, he wouldn’t have landed on her doorstep in the first place.
“I thought if I called him Goliath, maybe he’d live up to the name,” Shannon said. “But so far, no. He’s such a sweet dog, though. He’ll come around.”
Bobbie came around to take their order. Rita went for her usual BLT, but Shannon decided to try Rosie’s new avocado and bacon burger. In Rainbow Valley, change came around about as often as Halley’s Comet, so she embraced it whenever she could.
“So how are things going with you and Russell?” Rita said. “I see you around town together every once in a while.”
“Good. We’re taking things slow.”
“Slow? Whose choice was that?”
“It’s mutual.”
“Mutual?” Rita made a scoffing noise. “I saw you having coffee a week ago. You might be taking it slow, but Russell wishes he already had a ring on your finger.”
Shannon slumped with frustration. “What in the world makes you say that?”
“Well, let’s just say you spent the whole time admiring the pretty foam pattern in your latte, and he spent the whole time admiring you.”
That was probably true. Sometimes she didn’t get why Russell was so interested in her when he could have just about any woman in town. As soon as he’d moved to Rainbow Valley and set up his dental practice, every woman of marriageable age had suddenly decided they’d put off that filling or crown long enough and it was time to get it fixed. But Russell had looked past all of them. Instead, he came to the shelter to adopt a cat and ended up asking Shannon out. They’d dated on and off since, though it was clear to Shannon that Russell would prefer it to be more on than off.
Shannon sighed. “I’m just not ready for the kind of relationship he is.”
“Then for God’s sake, stick to your guns. Don’t get roped into marriage if it’s not what you want.”
And if there was ever an expert on not getting married, it was Rita. She’d had three proposals over the years, and every time she’d made a list of pros and cons. When the cons won by a landslide, she’d continued to embrace single womanhood. Shannon had the feeling sometimes that she was destined to be like Rita in more ways than one.
“So how are things at the shelter?” Rita asked. “It’s been a little while since I’ve been out there.”
“About the same. It always feels as if we’re one minor disaster away from closing the doors.”
“Sorry. That’s the name of the game when you’re dependent on donations and fund-raisers. That Texas Monthly article about the shelter came out last week. What happened with that?”
“Our phone rang off the hook.”
“Good! Lots of donations?”
“Nope. Lots of people with homeless animals they wanted to bring us.”
Rita sighed. “That’s the problem with PR. Sometimes you get the wrong result.”
“They tell us how wonderful we are, and that’s really nice, but it doesn’t put food in bowls and buckets.”
“Sometimes you have to say no.”
“I have a hard time doing that.”
“If you don’t, the place will eventually go under. And then you won’t be able to help any of them.”
Shannon knew Rita was right. But if she didn’t take some of these animals in, nobody else was going to. Every time somebody came in looking for an animal to adopt, she was tempted to say, Great! I have a dog with three legs, two bad-tempered cats, and a llama with a spitting issue. Which one would you like?
“How’s the hunt going for a new caretaker?” Rita asked.
Shannon sighed. “Not good. I hired a guy last week I thought was going to work out. Unfortunately, he didn’t bother to mention his drug problem.”
“Any other candidates?”
“Not for the salary I can pay.”
“But it includes living accommodations.”
“A room with a twin bed, a mini-fridge, a microwave, and a tiny bathroom. Not exactly the Ritz-Carlton.” She sighed. “It makes me really nervous if I don’t have somebody there around the clock. We always have animals recovering from all kinds of things. They need more attention than they’re getting.”
“Which means you’re staying late and working yourself silly. Why don’t you hire a couple more high school kids? At least they can take up the slack with the routine stuff.”
“I tried that. Except for Angela, most of the part-time kids I’ve hired just want to pet the puppies. Freddie Jo is helping out, but it’s not her job to clean out dog kennels. I need her in the front office. The volunteers help, but they come and go.”
“Somebody will come along.”
Shannon hoped so. As much as she loved the shelter, the twelve-hour days were about to finish her off.
Rita eyed her carefully. “Are you sorry you came back to Rainbow Valley?”
“What? Sorry?” Shannon shook her head. “No. Absolutely not.”
“You had a good career. Sometimes I feel guilty luring you back here.”
“Luring me at the salary I’m making?” Shannon smiled. “Sorry, Rita. But that wasn’t much of a lure.”
“I know. You don’t give a damn about the money. The lure was telling you the animals needed you. Because of that, you gave up a career you worked really hard to have.”
“If I hadn’t wanted to come back here, wild horses couldn’t have dragged me. Even crazy, dysfunctional, unadoptable ones.” She smiled. “And don’t worry. I’m going to keep that place running if it kills me.”
“You and Luke,” Rita said. “You’re more alike than you realize.”
Shannon’s heart jumped when Rita mentioned his name again. “Come on, Rita. You know there are no two people on the planet more different from each other than Luke and I.”
“I used to think maybe that was true. Not so much anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“Once you get your teeth into something, you don’t let go till it thunders.”
“And how does Luke fit that description?”
“He’s on the verge of winning the World Championship bull riding competition. You don’t get there by showing up only when you feel like it. You get there by wanting it so badly there’s nothing you won’t do to get it.”
Shannon hadn’t considered that. Maybe it was more than physical ability that got a man to the top of the rodeo world, which meant that maybe there was more these days to Luke Dawson than she ever could have imagined.
It didn’t matter, though. Now that his father was gone, Luke’s last tie to Rainbow Valley had been severed, so she couldn’t
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