One Texas Cowboy Too Many (Burnt Boot, Texas #3)(88)

“Cats in the house?” Honey picked her way to the table with a full plate of food.

“This is not River Bend.”

“Enjoy it because if Uncle Russell overrides Granny, you’ll probably be living back at River Bend by the end of next week,” Honey said.

“Why?”

“You won’t be able to afford to live outside of the ranch without a job and the Gallaghers are putting up a big stink with the school board. According to them, a fourth-grade schoolteacher should not be living with a man in sin,” Honey said between bites.

“You are kiddin’ me.” Leah’s eyes widened in shock.

Honey shook her head slowly. “Wish I were but I’m not. They’ve caused such a problem that there’s going to be an emergency school board meeting on Thursday next week. Naomi is on the agenda and so is Granny.”

“I wonder how much money will change hands between now and then.” Leah sighed.

“Uncle Russell won’t let you down. He’ll let you come back to River Bend if they fire you,” Honey said.

“I’m not going back there, Honey. I like it here. Maybe Rosalie will give me a job at the bar at night and I can always pick up substitute work in Gainesville until next year,” Leah declared.

“God, I wish I had your nerve and determination,” Honey said.

“I wish I’d had it a long time ago,” Leah whispered. A picture of her little student, Millie Gallagher, flashed through her mind. If they fired her, it wouldn’t be until Friday morning, so that sweet little girl would damn sure have a party on Thursday, complete with cupcakes and party hats and games.





Chapter 28


Rhett found Leah in the utility room sitting on the floor with a lap full of sleeping kittens. Her mama cat was in the carrier, purring loudly. Before the scene could, change he took his phone from his pocket and snapped a picture when she looked up.

“I’m sending this to my sister, Katie. She loves cats too.” He sat down close enough that their hips touched. “Did you name them yet?”

“Sure I did. That’s the fun of kittens. You can name them all kinds of silly names.”

“Your mama cat doesn’t have a silly name,” he said.

Leah laid her head on his shoulder. “Yes, she does. I named her Cinderella because she has gold hair, but she was so wild that her middle name is Deville. Ella is her nickname.”

Rhett chuckled. “And do each of those critters have two names?”

“No, they are all boys but one, which is unusual. The girl is Rose.” She pointed at the yellow kitten. “The boys are Jack, Jim, and Jameson, and the runt here is Johnny.”

He reached out and rubbed each one on the head with his forefinger. “I like it. Think they’ll grow up to be outlaws and be known as the Whiskey Kids?”

“You never know what a kid is going to grow up to be,” she said.

“Are we still talking about cats?”

“Probably not.”

Dammit flopped down beside the carrier and whined. Ella hissed at him once, then went back to purring.

“I believe they’ll be friends. No one can resist Dammit’s charm, not even a cat,” Rhett said.

“He’s like you. Not many people can resist your charms either,” Leah said. “Daddy and Declan like you.”

“Feeling is mutual. We’re going to win this Brennan war a relative at a time. Your dad had some good advice to pass on to me about the cattle. We agreed on almost every one that needed to be culled out and replaced with new blood this fall. He even said that he’d give me first chance to buy a couple of new bulls from the River Bend sale in October.”

“He must like you, but I don’t think six weeks is enough time for Granny to let you set a foot back on River Bend,” she said.

“Maybe we need a miracle,” Rhett said.

“It would take more than a simple little miracle. Hell would have to freeze over and the angels in heaven would have to be willing to ice skate on it.” She sighed.

“Are we still talking about buying two new bulls?”

She shook her head.

“What’s on your mind, Leah?” Rhett cocked his head to one side to see her face better.

“They’ve called a special school board meeting, Rhett. The Gallaghers want me fired for living with you,” she blurted out.

His first thought was that he was going to beat the hell out of Tanner Gallagher. The egotistical fool had begged for it, and Rhett had kept his temper on ice, but this was going too far. It might not help matters, but it would damn sure make Rhett feel better.

The next thought was far more rational and would probably produce more results than a black eye and busted knuckles. They’d take a lawyer with them to the school board meeting and threaten to file a suit against the Gallaghers. That might back Naomi up a step or two.

“Who’s on the school board?” he asked.

“Not Gallaghers or Brennans because it’s an elected position and the next election isn’t until spring. But the Gallaghers have deep pockets. Think about it—they already donated enough to the church to pay a youth director’s salary for three years.”

He tipped her chin up with his knuckles and traced her lips with his forefinger. By the slight shiver, he could tell that merely a touch affected her as much as it did him. Her tongue flicked out and moistened her lips and her eyelids fluttered shut. When his lips claimed hers, there was no more thought about ranches, school board meetings, or even the kittens.