Hot Cowboy Nights (Lucky Penny Ranch #2)(81)

“Okay, Deke will have to know who the buyer is, so I’ll get him to either tell me when we go over there to help him pack,” Allie said. “And if he doesn’t I’m not helping.”

“And I’ll tell Deke he doesn’t need you to help when he’s got me to pack for him. Besides, you’ve got that big old baby bump and it’ll get in the way,” Lizzy countered with a smile.

Toby squeezed her knee under the table and sparks danced across the table like gypsies around a bonfire. She placed her hand on his and squeezed, but that did not mean she was spilling the news to him, either, not even in the midst of a night of scorching sex.





Chapter Twenty-Three



Lizzy leaned on the broom and looked around at the house she’d bought that Thursday evening. The hardwood floors had a few scuff marks but nothing that would have to be dealt with right away. The bathroom fixtures were that pink used back in the seventies, but they were in good shape. Built like so many ranch homes in those days, the house had a front door that opened right up into the living room with the big square country kitchen through an archway straight ahead. A hallway led to three bedrooms, a couple of closets, and ended with a door into the bathroom. It was basically the same layout that Allie and Blake had except that the living room was smaller and the kitchen bigger.

“Deke, I have to tell you something but I don’t want my family to know until after the festival,” Lizzy said.

He crossed his heart with his finger and held up his palm. “I can keep a secret.”

“I’m the buyer. I’m the one buying your ranch. You won’t back out will you?” she blurted out.

Deke threw an arm around her shoulders. “I already figured that out and I’d never back out on you, Lizzy. I couldn’t be happier. Just knowin’ who’s going to be takin’ care of this makes me happy.”

“How did you know?” Lizzy asked.

“I know you,” Deke chuckled. “This means you aren’t going to let Mitch talk you into a second chance, doesn’t it?”

Lizzy stepped out of his embrace and thought about smacking him with the broom. “What in the devil made you say that?”

“I heard it through the gossip vine that he’s not happy in Mexico after all and that his woman is having second thoughts,” Deke answered.

“It’s a little late for that,” Lizzy said.

“Who knows about that? They might be but there’s been so many stories that it could go either way. You didn’t answer my question though. If he’s not married and wants a second shot, what does that do about this ranch? Will you sell it and go with him and turn into that Lizzy that I don’t like?”

She slowly shook her head. “That ship sailed.”

“Are you sure?” Deke pressed.

Allie peeked around the corner of the hallway at the other end. “Sure about what? The person buying this place better not back out at this late date. I’ve got your kitchen cabinets all packed up and cleaned out. Whoever moves in here will have a spotless kitchen. And what ship sailed?”

“The one with Mitch at the helm. Deke heard that he’s not real happy with his new woman now and she’s got cold feet,” Lizzy answered.

Allie’s big brown eyes widened. “Promise me you won’t give him the time of day.”

Lizzy held up two fingers and then crossed her heart. “Too much water has run under the bridge at this time to go back to that pain.”

“Give me a match and I’ll set the bridge on fire for you,” Deke said. “Thanks for all y’all’s help. We’ll load it and take it over to the new place. Y’all are the best friends ever.” He slid a sly wink toward Lizzy.

Blake hollered at Allie and she disappeared into the kitchen. Deke followed her, leaving Lizzy alone with her broom and the trash left in one of the spare bedrooms. She took a swipe at it and leaned on the broom again.

Lizzy would own this place for less than twenty-four hours when Mitch came to town. She played out two scenarios in her mind. One involved Mitch apologizing and admitting he’d made a mistake when he broke their engagement back in February. In the other he would be aloof and more than a little self-righteous with that look that was so very familiar. The one that said the man ruled the roost and the woman was only there to scrape the shit off his boots in the evening.

Neither one weighed down her heart or made it leap around in her chest. If he apologized, she would accept it. If he was high and mighty, that was okay, too. He’d ceased to matter in her world.

“Hey, gorgeous.” Toby broke into her thoughts but it didn’t startle her.

She set the broom in the corner and walked into his open arms. They belonged in this house. It might take a while to convince him, but she wasn’t in a hurry.

“I’ve got a blanket, a six-pack of cold beer, and a paper sack with sandwiches and cookies. Want to see what’s going on at the willow tree when we get done here?” he whispered as he buried his face in her hair.

“You sure know how to woo a woman,” she said, and laughed. “I’ll meet you there.”

He tipped her chin up with his fist and their lips met in a blaze of heat like always. She leaned into the kiss, hands splayed on his broad chest, fire building from a spark into a raging wildfire in seconds.