One Texas Cowboy Too Many (Burnt Boot, Texas #3)(75)

“Same place as Finn and Sawyer—on a ranch down around Comfort, Texas. I have relatives over in Ringgold, not far from here,” he said.

“Those O’Donnells? I’ve been thinking about putting my name on the list to buy one of their fine horses. Now I know that you’re a relative, I’ll have to give them a call this week.” Naomi smiled.

“They do grow some good horses,” he said.

Betsy’s hand landed on his thigh and squeezed. “We’ll get through this dinner and then we’ll have a tour of the ranch.”

“The rules of the race say that we only have to have dinner together,” he said. “I’ve allowed an hour and a half for the dinner, and then I have a meeting with Gladys, Polly, Sawyer, and Jill planned. I have to be there at two o’clock.”

“Well then”—her hand slid farther up his thigh—“I expect we’d best make the best of what time we have. How do you like what you see here on Wild Horse?”

“As in?” he asked.

“As in how would you like to be a part of what you see here?”

“Are you proposing to me, Betsy?”

Her smile was brilliant, but her eyes told a different story. This was all a game to Betsy and had nothing to do with love, ranches, or anything but the feud.

“Why, Rhett O’Donnell, I’m most certainly not proposing anything but asking you if you like what you see. If you do”—she squeezed his leg again—“I was thinking about making you one of those offers you can’t refuse.”

“Such as?”

“Such as jumping the fence from Fiddle Creek over to Wild Horse. I’ll pay you double whatever Sawyer and Gladys are paying you, and there’s all these wonderful benefits.” Her fingers walked up his thigh, all the way up to his zipper.

He reached under the table and moved her hand to her own lap. “I like my job and I never was too good at jumping fences.”

“Don’t say no until you hear the benefits.”

Naomi laid a hand on his arm. “We’ve got an empty two-bedroom house not far from where Betsy lives, and I’ll throw in medical insurance with your salary and give you a two-week paid vacation after six months.”

“Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. By the way, this steak is really good. What’s your secret?”

“Good beef. I’ll show you my secret in raising prime stock, but you have to take us up on the offer. This is a big place, Rhett. Even though Leah will wind up living here, there will be miles between you. Besides, she’s not serious about a plain old hired hand. She’s been flirting with you to bring Tanner to his knees,” Naomi said.

“I figured you’d fight the idea of bringing a Brennan onto Wild Horse,” Rhett told her.

“I would if it was any other woman from over on River Bend. But Leah, now that’s special circumstances. I hope it causes Mavis’s blood pressure to shoot up so high that she has a stroke and dies.” Naomi’s tone was icy cold.

“But the benefits I have to offer are a lot hotter,” Betsy whispered in his other ear. “Think about long, hot nights with no commitments, dancing at the bar, fishing in the river, skinny-dipping after either or both. It’s win-win. Leah gets to keep living in the style she’s accustomed to. My granny wins a battle in the feud. Mavis drops dead. You get more money and lots more fun. No losses here, darlin’.”

“Maybe I’m looking for a commitment,” he said.

She kissed his earlobe. “Maybe you’ll find one. And, honey, remember what I told you yesterday—there’s more than one way to skin a cat. If I want you, and Leah is in the way, Granny can fix that little problem real quick.”

Dinner dragged on forever, through course after course, served by waiters dressed in black slacks and white shirts. It wasn’t the first time Rhett had been to a dinner like that, but they’d usually been at weddings or some other such celebration, not merely a family meal after church on Sunday. By the time they got to the dessert cart, which featured cheesecakes in about a dozen varieties, blackberry cobbler with or with ice cream, and pecan pie, it was one thirty.

Betsy chose a slice of turtle cheesecake and he nodded. He didn’t care if he had sawdust with ice cream on top; he wanted to finish dinner and get the hell away from Wild Horse Ranch.

“I hate to eat and run, ladies,” he said after he’d swallowed the last bite. “It’s been a lovely dinner, and it was so nice to get to know you better, Naomi. But I have a meeting scheduled that I must get to, so I should be going. Y’all have a wonderful afternoon.”

“I’ll walk you out.” Betsy laid her napkin down.

“Come back anytime, Rhett,” Naomi said. “And remember my offer. It’s only good for twenty-four hours, so don’t ponder on it too long.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said.

Betsy looped her arm in his and led him through a maze of Gallaghers. When they were finally at his cycle, she looped her arms around his neck, rolled up onto her toes, and kissed him full on the mouth, tongue, and the whole nine yards. It wasn’t a bad kiss, not bad at all, but it did nothing to excite Rhett like Leah’s kisses did. There was no flashing sparks, no breathlessness, and no racing pulse.

“You take that home with you, cowboy, and remember, it can be yours if you move on over here to Wild Horse. And, Rhett, don’t be thinking that Leah is in love with you. A girl never forgets her first love, not ever, and Tanner is hers. She’s getting a once-in-a-lifetime chance right now to fill the hole in her heart. It’s never been possible before and probably never will be again, that a Gallagher and a Brennan can get together,” Betsy said.