How to Rope a McCoy (Hell Yeah!) (9 page)

Packing
up her things, she headed out. The day was waning fast. Cutting through town,
she headed her white Cherokee toward the cottage she’d rented up near Marble
Falls. Since she couldn’t turn on the radio and get lost in music, Cato had
only her thoughts to keep her company. So naturally they turned to Heath and
she couldn’t help but giggle. Who would have ever thought they’d run into one
another the way they did today? What he must have thought when he rode up and
she was stuck up in that tree with his bull blocking her escape. Talk about
luck! Shaking her head, she was still amazed at the coincidence.

And
then a thought hit her. Instead of happenchance, their meeting could’ve been
fate. Yea, she’d been around enough Louisiana hoodoo to believe there was such
a thing as destiny. Cato could still remember when Nana Fontenot had predicted
that Savannah would meet, on her birthday, the warrior who would become her
husband. And she did. That same day she met Patrick O’Rourke—bigger than
Dallas.

The
BBQ at the
McCoys
was only days away. She had a lot
to do to get ready. Deciding what to wear was crucial. Cato wanted to fit in,
but she wasn’t fancy by any means. Heath didn’t act uppity. In fact, none of
the
McCoys
put on airs. So she probably had
sufficient clothes, perhaps there would be an occasion to wear the little black
lace dress that showed off her tan. And as for lingerie, well, that called for
a bit of splurging.

Cato
always wanted to be spontaneous, so she put on the brakes, pulled over, made a
U-turn and headed back to Austin.

Victoria’s
Secret, here I come.

*  *  *

Heath
trudged from the barn to the house, mumbling all the way. “Beats all I’ve ever
seen in my life.” He raised his eyes to the heavens. “What are you trying to do
to me? Is this some kind of test?”

If
he’d glanced at the porch, Heath would’ve seen that three of the six big
rockers were occupied. His younger brothers were all watching him make his way
across the lawn, through Pepper’s flower beds and around the fountain that
Ryder insisted they have in their front yard to honor their mother’s memory.

Heath
was still grumbling. “Just wait till I give those girls a piece of my mind.
There’s such a thing as meddling and this time they’ve gone too far.”

“You
need to get laid, brother,” Tennessee drawled.

Philip
pulled out a chair. “He’s right, Heath. You look like you’re about to explode.”

“Sex
isn’t the answer to all of life’s problems, boys,” Heath answered, sitting down
and taking his hat off to rest it on his knee.

Jaxson
leaned back in his chair, balancing his cast on the banister. “If it
ain’t
, it
oughta
be.”

Heath
shook his head. He wasn’t going to argue about it. The females in his social
circle expected white lace and promises. Commitment was one thing he was in
short supply of, so sex, for him, was one night stands with out of town women.
And that got old fast. “Is Ryder and Pepper at home? I have a bone to pick with
them.”

“What
have they done now?” Tennessee asked as Philip looked off into the distance,
trying to appear innocent and uninvolved.

“Gone
too far, that’s what.” He no more than got the words out of his mouth when
Ryder exited the house carrying a tray filled with a pitcher of amber liquid
and glasses full of ice. “Would anyone like a glass of tea?”

Tennessee
couldn’t help but be amused. Actually, he was relieved to be thinking about
anybody else’s problems other than his own. “I’ll take mine with a few drops of
Jack and you’d better get yours to go, Ryder. Heath’s on the warpath.”

It
had been years since any of her brothers truly intimidated her. Sparring with
them took her mind off of…no, she wouldn’t say his name out loud. She wouldn’t
even think it. As far as Ryder was concerned,
he
didn’t exist anymore.
If her brothers knew what had truly transpired between her and
him
,
they’d be after their so-called friend with weapons locked and loaded. So,
facing Heath’s wrath was a piece of proverbial cake. She set the tray on a
round table next to the door. “Found out about Cato, I guess?”

Heath
leveled his gaze at Ryder. “How dare you invite that woman to this house?”

Tennessee
roared with laughter. “You didn’t!”

“Need
I remind you that this is my home too?” She raised one elegant eyebrow and
faced down her brother. When he had the good grace to look sheepish, she
directed her next comment to Tennessee. “I did, as a matter of fact.” Ryder
looked triumphant. “And she accepted.”

“You
know we got on like two sore-headed tomcats in a tow sack.”

“That’s
not what I heard.” Jaxson smirked. “I heard you two almost had sex on the dance
floor.”

“Oh,
for crying out loud.” Heath bowed his head, holding his hat between his knees. This
would teach him to try any form of social interaction with the opposite sex in
front of his family. Trust them to hear wedding bells when all he was after was
a good time. “Why would you do something like that?” Heath looked around at his
brothers for support, which he didn’t seem to be getting at the moment.

“Aw,
I think you two were cute together.” Philip offered with a grin.

“Yea,
cute like a cobra and a mongoose,” Tennessee joked, making the situation worse.

“Hush!”
Ryder admonished everyone. “She’s coming as mine and Pepper’s guest. We need
female friends. There’s enough testosterone in this place to blow up Fort
Knox.” Putting a hand on her hip, she stared down her older brother. “You’d be
lucky if Cato had anything to do with you. But just so you know, Pepper is
planning on setting her up with somebody. She invited several eligible men from
the country club.”

“Pepper
is getting out of hand,” Heath murmured and looked around for support, which he
didn’t get. They all knew Pepper was the pet. If anyone could get away with
anything in Heath’s eyes, it was Penelope McCoy. 

“She
even invited Caesar
Arness
.”

“
Arness
!” Heath bellowed. “Why would she invite that
thieving cattle rustler?”

Philip
pulled his Stetson down over his eyes. Sometimes it was better to hide.

“Dammit!”
Heath protested. “Jimmy doesn’t like Caesar, you know that.” His brothers and
sisters didn’t know about Caesar and Amy or
Arness’s
family’s involvement with Highlands and the Hollings family. He’d never
burdened them with the details and he wasn’t about to start now. There were
just some things he’d rather not talk about.   

“Jimmy
likes Caesar fine, I’m sure. It’s you who has it in for him and all because he
outbid you on that
Beefmaster
bull you both wanted.”
Ryder shook her finger in her brother’s face, at a safe distance of course.
“And if Cato likes him, you’d better keep your distance. She’s a nice girl and
I want her to have a good time.”

Heath
didn’t like what he was feeling. Honestly he didn’t even want to analyze what
he was feeling. Jealousy? Surely not. “She’s dangerous and
Arness
is a crook. I haven’t exactly figured out what his game is, but I know I don’t
trust him.”

“Wait,”
Jaxson held up his hand, “I’m confused.”

Tennessee
laughed. “That’s nothing new.”

“No,
wait a minute.” He looked at Heath. “How did you find out Cato was coming to
the BBQ?”

Heath
looked at his family. They were going to love this. “When I was out riding the
fence down by Sandy Creek I found her up in a tree with T-Bone at the bottom.”

“You
found Cato up a tree? What? Why?” Tennessee leaned forward, enjoying the
frustrated look on his brother’s face.

Heath
took a deep breath as if he were counting to ten before answering. “The bull
was just trying to be friendly and she didn’t understand.”

“No,”
Ryder countered. “Why was she there to start with?”

“Was
she looking for you?” Philip knew he was just making the situation worse, but
by this time no one cared. It was just too funny.

“That’s
what I said to her,” Heath agreed in a much beleaguered toned. “I asked her if
she was on my trail and she denied it. Her story was that she works for some
cultural center and they’re trying to find the lost San Saba mine.”

Philip
immediately sobered. “No shit? I’d sure like to talk to her about what she
knows.”       

Ryder
hid a smile as she poured a couple of glasses and began to give them to her
brothers. “Well, I guess you’ll get the chance to talk to her this weekend.”
She held out a glass to Heath. “Need to cool off?”

“Hell
no. I’m heading out.” Heath got up and stepped off the porch. “Just remember,
nobody is going to tell me who to date or how to live my life. That woman may
come to the BBQ but just keep her out of my sight. That’s all I have to say
about that.” Raising his hand as if to forestall arguments, Heath walked toward
his truck. “I’ll be with
Dushku
.”

“I
thought he was coming after you,” Tennessee called. “I wanted to talk to him
about a website idea I have for the trackers association. The man is a
cyber-genius, you know.”

“I’m
meeting him somewhere. Catch him at the BBQ, he’ll be here along with everybody
else, I guess,” Heath yelled over his shoulder. “I
gotta
get out of here. You people would worry the horns off of a
billy
-goat.”

Ryder
lingered and as Heath crawled into his truck, she looked at her siblings with a
mischievous smile on her pretty face. “I think our brother is protesting too
much. What do you think?”

Jaxson
nodded, noting the dust that Heath’s old truck kicked up as he sped away. “I think
it’s about to get exciting around here, if you ask me.” He raised his glass of
amber sweet tea as if in a toast. “Let the games begin.” 

CHAPTER FOUR

Heath
drove his old pickup under the tall Highlands ranch sign, traveling south
toward Austin. He’d phoned Jimmy and they planned to meet at the Iron Cactus
Bar on 6
^th
Street. People might wonder why he drove this beat-up old
relic. He really didn’t care what they thought. Amy had wanted him to buy a
fancy car, especially after he’d purchased Canyon of the Eagles resort and
started up Highland Green Alternative Energy. But to Heath, having money didn’t
necessarily mean you had to spend it. This old red truck had seen better days,
happier ones too. He remembered taking his mom down on Bayou
Teche
for a picnic one Mother’s Day and he could recall his
dad driving it down to the hay meadow with him and all the other boys riding in
the back, ready to throw the bales on a trailer. During the hot summers, he’d
piled the bed of the old truck high with watermelons and cantaloupes to sell on
the side of the road and in the fall they’d all camped out at the beach using
the pickup bed to sleep in instead of pallets on the sand. Yea, there were some
good memories associated with this truck.    

Driving
down 281, he turned on 71 toward Austin. Holding the wheel with one hand, he
massaged his left shoulder. God, he could use a rubdown, but that thought
naturally led to fantasizing about Cato’s hands running all over his body.
Damn, what he needed was a distraction. Flipping on the radio, he found his
favorite country station and soon Garth Brooks was belting out about having
friends in low places. He laughed. That song always made him happy. Now all he
needed was some fresh air. Rolling down his window, Heath let the wind whip
through the cab. With dusk falling fast, he knew most men his age were settling
down to dinner with family. Their wives would fix them a plate, kiss their neck
and after the meal, they would cuddle on the couch and watch television. Later,
they would go to bed and make love. Even though his life was full of business,
the ranch and his family, Heath was alone and lonely.

Though
he’d never admit it on threat of torture, he’d been thinking a lot about Cato
Vincent. His brain could logically assimilate the reasons why he needed to keep
her at arm’s length, but his body was screaming for release in her embrace. As
he sped along in the darkness, he let his imagination run wild, picturing her
naked, his hands and mouth full of her soft tits and his cock seeking solace
between her thighs. “Damn.” He raised his ass and adjusted his package to give
his cock some much needed space. How in the hell could he withstand her charms
for an entire weekend?

Well,
the answer to that question should be simple—another woman to take his mind off
the tempting morsel he couldn’t have. Since he was about to spend the next few
hours with
Dushku
, his problem might be solved. Jimmy
was a pussy magnet. Just thinking about his friend made him smile. They’d met
in college and remained close. Even though they didn’t have a whole lot in
common, their differences only seemed to make their bond stronger. While Heath
stayed at home and made his living off the land, Jimmy was a jetsetter and
managed assets he owned worldwide. One day he was in Dubai and the next he
might be in Paris. He was friends to movie stars, sports icons, sheiks, and
world leaders. The most famous relationship he’d fostered was with the
president of North Korea. Although Jimmy said he couldn’t exactly remember how
it came about, when the leader of North Korea followed Jimmy’s twitter account,
he followed back out of courtesy, greeting him with a ‘hello, my friend’—and a
relationship was born. One that he didn’t seek, yet one he wouldn’t break.
After all, as one acquaintance advised, ‘you never unfollow anyone with nuclear
weapons.’

When
the Austin skyline came into view, he felt a sense of peace come over him.
While Louisiana would always be his roots, Texas was his home now. And nowhere
did the lifeblood of Texas beat stronger than in the heart—the capitol—weird,
wonderful Austin. Taking the downtown exit, he found a place to park his old
jalopy and headed over to 6
^th
street. Austin was known as the ‘live
music capital of the world’ and its title was well deserved. A myriad of sounds
and tones filled the air—everything from jazz to country to R&B.

From
out of nowhere the notion hit
him
that Cato couldn’t
hear any of this. She lived in a world of constant silence. How could she stand
it? It seemed to him the deathly still would be far louder than any atomic bomb
in the world. Heath feared he wasn’t nearly as strong as she was. The inability
to hear would drive him mad.

Yet,
Cato maintained one of the most positive attitudes of anyone he’d ever met. Oh,
she talked a bit funny, but he found it endearing. For all practical purposes,
she was an absolute delight. Beautiful, sexy, smart as a whip and desirable to
the extreme. In other words, she was all wrong for Heath McCoy. Love was not in
his future so there was no use torturing himself.

“Heath!”
He heard his name called. Turning, he saw
Dushku
standing outside the Iron Cactus, waiting on him. “You’re late.”

Joining
Jimmy, he shook his hand, noticing how women watched them. Heath didn’t know if
any of the looks were for him or if they were all for the dark handsome Austin
entrepreneur. Oh well, everybody needs a wingman. “Why don’t you have a date
tonight?” he asked.

“Actually,
I had three, but I canceled them,” Jimmy said over his shoulder as they
followed a waiter to a secluded table on the roof. For a moment they enjoyed
the view of the city and the Colorado River. The lights were amazing. Heath
would never get tired of looking at it as long as he lived.

“Why
did you cancel?” he asked after they’d ordered a round of beers.

“I
knew we’d see each other this weekend, but you sounded like you needed to
talk,” Jimmy answered honestly. “So what’s up?”

He
might hide things from his family, but he never hid things from his best
friend. “Women.”

“Ah.”
Jimmy lifted his head and smiled, holding up his phone. “Speaking of, I hacked
a few dating sites. Now my face and profile is appearing worldwide in forty
different languages.” He thumbed from one photo to the next. “I now have fifty
prospective dates in Paris, thirty-four in Brazil and as many as we want in
Austin. Just say the word and I’ll fix you right up.”

Heath
had no doubt Jimmy could and there was no doubt he needed sex. Heath realized
his body was cocked and primed. A man could only go so long without release. If
only he didn’t have one dark-eyed darling on his mind. “I’m ready. Work your
magic.”

The
waiter brought their drinks before Jimmy could respond, although Heath was amused
to see Jimmy’s shocked expression. His brown eyes had gone wide and his mouth
had dropped open. “Seriously?”

“Surprised?”

“Fuck,
yeah.” Jimmy laughed. “This is awesome.” Taking a swig of a dark microbrew, he
began to search his cell. Heath watched, amused. Some men had a little black
book, Jimmy had a database. “Hmmm, let’s see, I know you like a more
traditional girl. I’ve got you covered.” He found a message from a beautiful
blonde and showed it to Heath. “How about this one? Her name is Silver and she
has a roommate I’ve been wanting to meet.”

Heath
looked at the Nordic beauty. She appeared to be cool as a cucumber, stacked and
ready for action. “You do know I’m not shopping for a wife.” He reminded Jimmy,
probably unnecessarily.

“I
remember.” Jimmy grinned. “Believe me, neither am I. These girls are looking
for a good time, not a wedding ring.”

With
a few movements of his thumb and fingers, the deed was done. “We pick them up
in an hour. I suggest we take my car.”

“Ha!”
Heath snorted. “You don’t think Blondie would appreciate Ole Red?” Jimmy knew
him well.

“Probably
not.” A few more clicks on his phone and he smiled with triumph. “We have
dinner reservations at the
Driskill
Hotel. I’ve
reserved the Cattle Baron suite for you and the Governor’s suite for me. Drink
up!”

Jimmy’s
good mood was contagious. Now all he had to do was get a certain someone off
his mind so he could give his body some much needed sexual relief.

*  *  *

The
rest of the work week was fairly uneventful for Cato. She attended a music
festival to chronicle some original Texas bands, put together a tour of Hill
Country wineries and mapped out the best wildflower routes for spring tourists.
Floyd had gladly relinquished custody of the website to her so she was having a
blast making it more user friendly and chock full of information. She had a
whole list of other things she wanted to include: best BBQ restaurants, list of
scenic overlooks, the state’s best farmer’s markets and much more.

Mr.
Redford had also drafted a letter to Heath McCoy requesting permission to do
some groundwork at the caves on Highland Ranch. He’d ordered some sensitive
metal detection equipment, the best money could buy. Cato didn’t really understand
why he would spend six thousand dollars on a GPX 5000 which could conceivably
see through solid rock. She thought they were more interested in the idea of
its historical significance than any real monetary value. The idea that Jim
Bowie and others had prowled the region meant more to Cato than finding
minerals which would mean tearing up the picturesque countryside to extract
gold or silver.

Floyd
had also laid out land plats of the whole region. She’d seen him talking on the
phone with someone about the caves. The little she could pick up by watching
him, he’d been telling whoever was on the other end of the phone call about how
they reached deeper into the mountain and he wasn’t sure how much was on
Highland’s property. Again, Cato didn’t know why that mattered. Most probably
she would understand it as they learned more.

At
the moment, however, she was leaving work behind and packing for the weekend
with the
McCoys
. To say she was nervous was putting
it lightly. After laying out her clothes, she flipped on the tap to take a hot
shower. The water would relax her, hopefully. As she undressed, she stared at
herself in the mirror, trying to see herself the way Heath would. She supposed
she was pretty enough, for a curvy girl. Her face wasn’t too bad, sort of heart
shaped with a slightly turned up nose. Cato thought her eyes were set too wide
and her mouth was a little big, but Savannah said men liked those traits. She’d
done her best to put her mother’s criticism behind her, but sometimes doubts
and insecurities reared their ugly head.   

Pulling
her hair back, she studied her profile, sucking in her cheeks. Dang, she looked
like a chipmunk. And her hair had a mind of its own. Cato didn’t know how many
times she’d straightened it, but there was really no use. As soon as the least
bit of humidity hit it, the corkscrew curls were back. Maybe she should cut it,
get the weight off of her neck. Turning to gaze over her shoulder, she
considered whacking off the length. The strands reached to her butt. Less hair would
certainly be cooler for her. Oh well, no time now. She’d just have to face
Heath as regular old Cato.

Now
for the hard part—an assessment of her naked self.  

Cato
wasn’t exactly ashamed of her body. She just didn’t feel like there was much to
get excited about. If she’d had her druthers, her breasts would be perkier and
her bottom would be smaller. But no amount of dieting seemed to change her
natural shape. Tessa’s mother had called her a natural breeder, which made Cato
laugh. Most women could get pregnant, the term was just a female invention to
excuse a wide butt. Stripping down to the altogether, she turned one way and
then the other, pretending she was Heath seeing her naked for the first time.
Squinting her eyes, she studied her reflected image. Well, it could be better.
But what you see is what you get. Cato was tired of observing from the
sidelines, she wanted to experience life to the fullest. And to her, that meant
sex. The reality of her shortcomings didn’t deter her from having dreams. And
getting that cowboy naked in a bed was high on her list. It might never happen,
but it sure was fun to think about.

Oh
well, if she didn’t get cracking, she’d never get to Highlands. Laughing at her
woolgathering, Cato stepped under the spray and began to wash away her cares.
Looking back, Cato realized her life could have gone a couple of different
ways. Even though she was kept on a tight leash, she’d had choices. Most of the
choices she had were internal, how she would react to events, whether or not she
would give up hope for a future, how she would let her mother’s attitude and
the attitudes of others mold her own dreams and opinion of herself. Tessa and
her mother, unbeknownst to Edith, had given her an outlet to express herself
and obtain a glimpse into a life other than what she had at home. Most people
would have been appalled to know what Cato really thought, but in her mind, the
assailant who tried to rape her had not been as big of a threat to her as her
own mother. She’d spent her lifetime trying to be just what Edith wanted and to
win her love. She hadn’t been successful. Night after night, she’d lain in her
bed and pondered her future. The present might have looked bleak, but Cato
wasn’t about to give up. And any future she could envision always included a
relationship with a man and a family of her own with children who would never
doubt their value, even if they weren’t perfect.

Cato
wiped tears from her eyes as she stepped out of the shower and dried off. The
past wasn’t something she could change. In one of her philosophy classes she’d
read that the events in one’s life molded a person into what they would become.
Cato believed this. She had struggled through hard times, but she had emerged
stronger. When her mother had tried to hold her back, Cato had obeyed, but
she’d never given up. She believed she had something to offer the world and she
intended to find out what that was as soon as possible.