Must Love Cowboys: This steamy and heart-warming cowboy rom-com is a must-read! (Once Upon A Time In by Carly Bloom (ereader for textbooks .txt) 📗

sorry I hurt you. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want to. And I swear to God, I will sign a contract right now stating that I will never do it again.”

Allie lifted her head to look at him. Would she accept his pledge? Or had he hurt her too badly?

“I believe you, Beau. And I believe in you.”

The relief damn near buckled his knees.

“And I’m not the only one who believes in you. You just need to believe in yourself.”

This morning, when he’d gone in to quit his job as foreman, he’d ended up telling Gerome and Ford about his dyslexia instead. And they hadn’t cared at all, other than being mad that he hadn’t told them earlier. And it turned out that the broken pump had nothing to do with him—the dang thing had broken because it was old—and the inventory miscalculation had been Bryce’s error.

Everyone made mistakes.

Alice brushed the hair out of his eyes, and the touch set him on fire. He wanted to kiss her, but did he dare? She still hadn’t said—

“I love you,” she whispered. “Just you. And nobody else.”

She rose on her toes and kissed him.

They say that a man’s life flashes before his eyes when he’s about to die. But Beau’s flashed before his at the touch of Alice’s lips. He saw himself jumping into the clear waters of the Rio Verde. Riding his horse hard and fast. Chasing Bryce around the big oak tree. Trying his best to please the babysitter, who made him feel soft and squishy inside. All of this and more blew through his consciousness as he kissed Alice.

Dancing with Alice. Reading with Alice. Laughing and crying and making love with Alice. Growing old with Alice.

He broke the kiss, because he felt as if he might lose himself completely if he didn’t. And anyway, he still had something else to say. “Listen, I think you should take that job in Austin. I don’t want to hold you back. And I already talked to Gerome. He said I can move to the dude ranch. There are a few cowboy positions open and—”

“You’d do that for me?”

“I’ll do anything for you.”

“I don’t want to go to Austin, Beau. I really don’t. I love this library. I love this town. And I love my cowboy.”

Oh, dear Lord. He nearly collapsed with relief. “I think we need to write up a new contract,” he said, grinning.

Alice held up a finger. “With an evolving bucket list—”

“Beginning now.”

Alice raised an eyebrow. “And ending . . .”

“Never, darlin’. Never ever.”

The deal was sealed with another kiss.

And they lived happily ever after.

The End.

Epilogue

Alice sat all alone at a corner table at Chateau Bleu, nervously twisting and untwisting the napkin in her lap. Something had probably come up at the ranch. Maybe a fence was down. Maybe there were cattle out. Maybe Beau was assisting the vet with a laboring heifer. These things happened, and as Beau often said, you just had to roll with it.

She was getting better at rolling, but Beau usually called to let her know when he was going to be late.

She checked her phone again. Still no message. No missed call.

A streak of blue caught her eye. Carmen had been dashing back and forth between the restaurant and the hotel all evening. Chateau Bleu provided room service for the hotel guests, but unless there was an event, there usually weren’t that many guests. And Carmen wouldn’t be the one delivering room service anyway. Carmen spotted her, smiled, and headed to her table.

“Is everything okay? Can I get you another glass of wine while you wait?”

“Everything is perfect,” Alice said. “Beau is just running a little late.”

Carmen sat and leaned forward. “I’ll help you pass the time. How’s your new job?”

Alice’s nerves calmed ever so slightly with this welcome distraction. “Challenging, and I love it.”

She’d recently been promoted to the previously nonexistent position of Verde County Library director. The Big Verde Public Library had joined with two other small rural libraries, and Alice oversaw all three.

“How about you? How are things at the Rockin’ Bleu?”

“Great reviews from food critics. I’ve got a fantastic chef and a great manager, which is good, because my Vegas chef quit. I’ve been spending most of my time in Nevada.”

“I’ve missed you,” Alice said.

“I’m going to try to get home more.”

“Did you just refer to Big Verde as your home?”

Carmen grinned. “I’ve got a suite here and one at the dude ranch. But I’m thinking of selling my house in Houston and making the Texas Hill Country my headquarters. It’s centrally located, and the best part? I’ll be closer to my bestie.”

Nobody had ever called Alice their bestie before. It made her feel a bit gooey and soft inside. It also made her want to have a sleepover and do each other’s nails.

Carmen’s phone vibrated. After glancing at it, her eyes twinkled. “Your dinner is ready.”

“My dinner? But I haven’t even ordered it yet. And Beau’s not here.”

“Both are waiting in room 218.”

Alice suppressed a squeal. She should have known Beau would do something special for the one-year anniversary of their contract.

“Don’t forget this,” Carmen said, snatching a red rose from a vase on the table. There was a little card attached: From your Secret Admirer.

Holy guacamole. She hadn’t even noticed it! She took the rose, hugged Carmen, and rushed through the restaurant and hotel lobby to the stairs, which she took two at a time. Soon, she was standing in front of room 218, staring at the same door she’d knocked on a year ago.

She inhaled deeply and tapped softly. Would Beau answer in a sexy suit and tie? Her knees went weak just thinking about it.

A bare chest suddenly opened the door. At least that’s how it seemed. There were probably other body parts as well—a head and legs, for example. But the chest, which was muscular and naked, was taking up the entire doorway. Her gaze drifted down to the unbuttoned