Roxann Delaney - Designs on the Cowboy

She was thankful her chair was available when her knees gave way.

* * *

DYLAN DIDN’T INTEND to notice the time as he parked the utility tractor next to his brother’s barn. But when he did, his first thought was to wonder if Glory had started what she’d called her walk-through.

He wasn’t completely convinced that he should have given her the okay to start working, but he really hadn’t been given a choice. Erin had made sure of that. Did he really want Glory traipsing through his house when he wasn’t there? Not that he thought she’d take anything or snoop around. But the idea of her being there alone just didn’t sit well with him. Maybe he should check on her, just in case. At least if Erin called, he could tell her what was going on, and that should keep her off his case.

After shutting off the tractor, he climbed down and headed for his pickup.

“You’re leaving already?” his brother called to him. “Hayley’s stopping by with one of Kate McPherson’s coffee cakes.”

Dylan shook his head and opened the door of the truck. “Can’t. I’ve got to get...” He needed an excuse. “I have an appointment I need to get to.”

He was just sliding behind the wheel when Luke appeared at the door and closed it. “What kind of appointment? Are you sick?”

“Nah, nothing like that. Just...” He wasn’t quite sure what or how much to tell his brother, so instead, he answered with, “I’ll tell you about it later.”

Luke stepped away from the truck as Dylan turned the key and started the engine. “You’re sure you’re all right?” Luke asked.

“Positive,” he answered, knowing how much worry he’d caused his brother over the years.

“Okay.” But Luke didn’t look completely convinced.

With a quick nod, Dylan put the truck in gear and pulled out onto the road. During the short drive, he tried to think of how he might be able to get out of this crazy decorating deal his sister had dreamed up, but he knew the effort was useless. He knew Erin well enough to know that she wasn’t going to let this go. And maybe she was right. Maybe he needed this. Maybe they all did. But that didn’t mean he had to like it.

Turning into the long lane at his house, the first thing he noticed was the late-model sedan parked in front. With Glory nowhere in sight, he guessed she’d already gone inside. Climbing out of his truck, he headed for the enclosed porch, where he opened the wooden screen and stepped inside. For a moment, he hesitated, while his memories played their usual trick on him. His mother had had a green thumb, and the porch had always been filled with plants and flowers, often hiding the muddy boots and well-worn jackets and coats. The greenery was gone now, but it always took him a moment to accept it.

At the door that led from the porch to the kitchen, he noticed how badly it needed a coat of paint, much like everything else around the house. Since the death of his parents in a car accident, fifteen years before, he and his brother had focused on making the ranch the best they could, believing that was what their mom and dad would have wanted. But he’d ignored the house. Erin was right. It needed some work.

Opening the door, he stepped into the kitchen and stopped. Glory stood at the kitchen table with a camera in her hand, while she made notes on the papers in front of her.

She greeted him with a smile and put her pen on the table. “I hope it was all right that I let myself in. I looked around for you, and knocked on the door several times, but when no one answered...” She finished with a shrug.

He felt the first embers of anger, but quickly put them out. What did he expect her to do when he wasn’t around? “I forgot you were going to be here,” he said, but it was a lie.

“This house is amazing,” she said, taking a step back away from the table and looking around the room.

In that briefest of moments, he saw the place through the eyes of a stranger. Embarrassed that he’d let things go so much, he wasn’t sure what to say. “The folks weren’t into fixing things up fancy.”

“No, it isn’t that. It’s just... Well, to begin with, I haven’t seen wallpaper like this for, oh, I don’t know how long.”

He took in the pattern of green ivy on the wall, and then the rest of the room. None of the appliances were anywhere near new. There was nothing as fancy as a dishwasher, and a large chest freezer took up most of one wall. But he’d never cared before, so why should he now?

“This table and chairs,” she said with a sigh, from behind him.

He turned to look at the old chrome-and-vinyl kitchen set where his family had eaten every meal. “Yeah, it probably needs to be thrown out.”

“Not necessarily,” she said, but she frowned. “They’re definitely retro, and people are looking for this type of thing. I wish they were in better condition.”

He immediately stiffened at the slight. “The wallpaper’s going, too, I suppose.”

“Yes, I’m afraid so.” Looking up, she smiled at him again. “Don’t look so worried,” she said, reaching out to put her hand on his arm. “I know what I’m doing.”

He stared at her hand as the warmth of her touch snaked up his arm. Opening his mouth to tell her that she had no idea what she was doing to him, he immediately shut it again. He wasn’t sixteen years old, and he had better sense than to let that perfume she was wearing—or her touch—get to him.

He cleared his throat as she pulled her hand away. “What about the appliances?” he asked. “Do I keep those?”

“That will depend on how much you want to upgrade.”

Money hadn’t been a problem for him and his brother for several years. They’d made out better than they’d ever thought they would. But he wanted this decorating thing to be over with as soon as possible.

Before he could come up with an answer, she continued. “We can discuss what might work well when we get further into this. As soon as I finish with measurements and a few more pictures, I’ll start working on some ideas.”

He hadn’t expected it to be so easy. Maybe that meant it would be over quickly. “Okay. Sure.”

She gathered her papers together and hooked her big bag over her shoulder. “I’ve always loved this house.”

Having no memory of her coming to the Walker ranch, he looked at her to see if she was joking. She wasn’t. “I guess I don’t remember.”

“It was a long time ago, but I’ve been here.” She looked out the window where a row of trees lined the lane and continued on to the outbuildings. “When we were in eighth grade, both classes came out here for a hayride.” She turned to look at him. “Don’t you remember?”

He couldn’t even drag up a foggy memory of it. That didn’t surprise him. He’d blocked so many things from his childhood, after the accident. “Sorry, no, I don’t.”

“Oh.”

“There’s a lot I don’t remember. After—” He shook his head, unable to continue.

“Now I’m the one who’s sorry.”

“No reason you should be.” They stood in an uncomfortable silence, until he finally broke it. “When do you think you’ll be finished?”

“With the job?” she asked. “That depends on how much you want done.”

It didn’t matter to him, as long as it satisfied his sister and he was left alone. “Whatever you and Erin talked about.”

“A couple of months. Maybe more.”

He didn’t like the sound of it. “That long?”

She looked around, as if trying to get her bearings. “I could hire some extra help.”

“That’s okay. Whatever it takes.” She didn’t seem to understand that it wasn’t him she had to please but his sister. Even if he was the one who was paying for it.

Her head bobbed in a nod. “I’ll just get those measurements....”