Decker's Daughter (Cowboys of Cauldron Valley Book 4) Read online

  She took a deep breath. “Okay.” And then, because it felt good to agree, she nodded. “Okay, I’ll go out with you.”

  To her surprise, he gave a little fist pump, like he’d accomplished something really remarkable.

  And when he smiled, she returned it.

  “How does Japanese sound? I’ve been wanting to try that new hibachi place.”

  Her brows rose. “Well, that’s a surprise. Most cowboys I’ve met are all about steak.”

  “You mispronounced bacon, there.”

  “You prefer bacon to steak?”

  His shocked expression was obviously exaggerated. “It’s the Heavenly meat, Bobbi.”

  “Heavenly?”

  He nodded seriously. “Like little baby angels crawling across your taste buds.”

  A laugh burst out of her, and she shook her head, still grinning. “I think this will be a fun evening, Decker. How does Thursday evening work?” Neither she nor Laura worked late on Thursdays.

  “Even if it didn’t, I’d make it work. Can I have your number?”

  As Jim led CJ around the corral one more time, Decker and Bobbi bent over their phones to make the arrangements.

  Once, she glanced up and caught him looking at her, and found a smile on his wide lips and an excited sparkle in his green eyes.

  And she had to swallow. He was handsome, alright, but she was drawn to his quiet joy for life. Unconsciously, her right hand squeezed into a fist, remembering what it felt like to touch him.

  Could she afford to touch him again? Could she risk this life she’d made here with CJ—this good life—for a handsome smile?

  This date is either a great idea, or a very terrible one.

  She’d find out which on Thursday.

  Chapter 3

  Decker couldn’t recall being this excited about a date in a long while.

  Of course, he couldn’t recall having a date in a long while. Oh, there’d been some ladies here and there, but for some reason, he couldn’t think of a single one at that moment.

  Not with Bobbi standing in front of him, smiling and looking as amazing as she did.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked, offering her his arm, as they turned to the front door of Tokyo House, Cauldron Valley’s latest addition.

  And when she took his arm, he felt that same zing shoot straight to his chest.

  “I am,” she confessed. “I had to skip lunch today, but then when we got home, I didn’t want to ruin my appetite, so I just had some grapes.”

  “Grapes, ooh,” he teased, shooting her a smile. “Living large, huh? Why’d you skip lunch? Was it that busy at work?”

  He held up two fingers to the hostess, and she nodded and grabbed their menus—after doing that stupid thing where she licked her fingers and thrust them into the air. Deck tamped down his shudder, thinking of the germs on those menus being held by the same fingers she’d just stuck in her mouth. But as the hostess led them toward a table in the back, his attention quickly returned to focus on Bobbi.

  She was biting her lip, but then shrugged. “The office can get busy, yeah. But it’s not like there’s a pandemic going on or anything. We just had a complicated insurance claim come in, and I wasn’t hungry yet, so I offered to take it.” She kept speaking as he held her chair out for her, and she slid in. “And then, by the time I was hungry, the patients were lining up again.”

  Remembering her in her scrubs, Deck nodded as he sat across from her. “CJ says you’re a nurse?”

  She nodded. “My specialty is pediatrics. I work for a pediatrician two streets that way.” She pointed. “Of course, he’s the only pediatrician in town. Cauldron Valley is bigger than Black Aces though. At least we have a pediatrician here.”

  Black Aces wasn’t too far away, and Decker couldn’t wait to hear about her life there, but for now, he was distracted by her description of work. “Do you like it?”

  “I love it. I’ve always known I wanted to work with kids, and be a nurse, so it seemed like a no-brainer.”

  His smile slowly grew. “I totally get that.” He’d love the chance to work with kids. “And it sounds as if you stay pretty busy. Must be nice to get out of the scrubs every once in a while though.”

  Unbidden, his gaze dropped to her shoulders, then lower.

  Whereas last time he’d seen her, she’d been wearing those cute purple scrubs, now she was in a light silk blouse, and the pale pink looked amazing against her darker skin. And it was cut to emphasize all the right places; although her breasts were covered, the material did nothing to hide the way they were high and firm. Decker could imagine they’d just about fill up one of his palms—

  Holy hell, cowboy, what are you thinking?

  His gaze snapped upward to Bobbi’s, and he caught a heated look in her eyes, before she snapped them down to the place setting in front of her.

  Had that been angry heat, or appreciative heat?

  Either way, he shouldn’t have ogled her like a horny teenager!

  “Bobbi, I’m sorry—”

  Her skin flushed darker, and she reached for her menu, pulling it up in front of her face. “So what’s good here?” she blurted, in an overly loud voice.

  Oh hell, he’d made a major fool of himself.

  “Um…” Deck scrambled to cover his gaffe. “Everything I’ve had is good. They’re new, so I’ve only been here a few times, but it reminds me of some of the restaurants I’ve tried in Missoula. Good, I mean.”

  Inwardly, he winced as he pretended to study the menu.

  If he kept this up, Bobbi would walk out before their date had even started!

  She was still bent over the menu, but her shoulders seemed to relax as she read the options. “What do you normally get here? I’m not sure what to order.” Her gaze darted up to his, then back to the menu once more. “What do your dates normally get?”

  “I’ve never— I mean…” He shook his head, laying the menu down beside his plate. “I’ve never taken a lady here. Or any other places really. I haven’t dated too often here in Cauldron Valley.”

  Her eyes were on him now, but her chin was still tucked, as if she were ready to look away at a moment’s notice. “Because of the superstition?”

  One side of his lips curled wryly. “You’ve heard of that, huh?”

  She straightened, one finger still on the menu, as if to hold her place. “My girlfriend Laura is a nurse at the office I work at too, and she’s lived here a lot longer than I have. She told me all about how people here think triplets are bad luck for some reason.”

  Feeling more at ease with this topic, Deck leaned back in his chair. “None of us are too clear if it started before we were born, or after our parents died, or what. But yep, it’s pretty silly.”

  “You six have lived here your whole life, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he drawled. “Some of my brothers left for school, of course, but not me. I was born right here in the hospital and am happy as a clam on the ranch. Everything I need is right here, or in Helena or Missoula, and I can go hang out for a weekend if I need to.”

  Most of the dating he’d done had been at one of those cities, when mutual friends had set him up with college students or professional women.

  “Are clams particularly happy?”

  There was a twinkle in her light brown eyes when she asked, so he responded with another slow grin.

  “Only clam I know of around these parts are freshwater, but they seem happy enough.” If Wyatt had been the one in this seat, he’d probably make a naughty joke about clams, but Deck was determined not to think of his brother, when he had such loveliness sitting across from him. “This place serves Hokkigai, which is surf clam.”

  When he leaned forward to point to her menu under the Nigiri heading, her lip curled adorably.

  “Um…the idea of raw seafood is less appealing than I expected.”

  He was chuckling when the server arrived with their waters. “So no sushi, huh?” Deck asked with a cocked brow.

&nb
sp; She shook her head. “How about you just order for me, okay? You seem to know the menu pretty well.”

  “Sounds good.” Deck turned to the server. “Can we have an order of Takoyaki and edamame to start? Then let’s do one veggie udon and one steak hibachi, with soup and salad for both.”

  The server jotted notes and left with a nod, and when Decker turned back to Bobbi, she was smiling slightly.

  “You must be hungry.”

  “Nah,” he drawled. “It’s to share. The udon are these big thick noodles which are really chewy, and I like the way this place seasons their vegetables. But we’re in Montana, so we can’t not order steak in some form, even if it’s hibachi flavored.”

  Her breath burst out in a chuckle. “And I confess I’m a sucker for the white shrimp sauce they serve with hibachi.”

  “Oh yeah! My grams always called that yum-yum sauce!”

  She reached for her water. “Does your grandmother live here in Cauldron Valley too?”

  He grinned softly as he stretched his booted feet out underneath the table. “She did, yeah. At the ranch. She and Pops raised us from the time we were all five years old. When she died a few years back, we were all pretty messed up for a while.”

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “That must’ve been hard.”

  “Cancer is horrible.”

  She nodded sadly. “It really is.”

  He remembered she’d lost her mother recently, and had to resist the urge to reach across the table and comfort her.

  You don’t know her well enough to do that yet, cowboy.

  That was true, and he couldn’t afford to scare her away.

  But one day soon, you will be able to hold her. Forever.

  He blinked. Where had that thought come from? He’d just met the woman, and yeah, she was pretty and interesting, but he was thirty minutes into their first date. Words like forever didn’t need to get involved just yet, did they?

  But…

  He couldn’t help remembering a conversation he’d had with Cade about his first date with Jami, and how Cade was already thinking of marriage before it had even begun.

  It was Pops’ fault, probably, for putting the idea of forever in their heads.

  “So…” When Bobbi smiled, it appeared forced, but if she wanted to change the subject, he’d go along with it. “Your grandparents raised you and your brothers?”

  “Yep.” This was an easier topic. “My parents and my aunt and uncle died when we were five. We all lived on the ranch with Grams and Pops, so it was easy enough to move in with them—all six of us.”

  Her mouth had dropped open. “That’s horrible.”

  He shrugged. “It sounds pretty callous to say, but none of us remember them well. We don’t even know how it happened, because Pops always refused to tell us. We were young and resilient, and Grams made sure to take good care of us.”

  “Still…” She shook her head and reached across the table to place her hand atop his. “I’m sorry.”

  The tingle of her touch climbed up his arm, and it was a simple motion to turn his hand over and twine his fingers through hers.

  “Thanks.” Was his voice rough? It sounded rough to his ears. “Apparently, I had the hardest time transitioning, and Grams fought pretty hard to get me counselling in school once I started.” She’d always said he was her most sensitive grandson, and she wanted to make sure he wasn’t hurt long-term. “I remember very little of it, so I guess that means it worked.”

  She shook her head. “That’s remarkable. I can’t imagine suddenly having to take care of six five-year-olds and make sure they’re all happy, with all their different personalities.”

  “Ain’t that the truth?” He smiled, thinking of CJ’s love of adventure. “And we’re all different. Bob likes things just-so, and Grams always went out of her way to make sure he had everything the way he wanted. I imagine that caused some strife when he got married,” he added with a chuckle. “His brother Ted is pretty serious and latched on to Pops early on. Jim—you met him—is the jokester in the family. I remember she had her hands full with all the lizards he’d sneak into her folded laundry, and the salt he’d mix in with her sugar.”

  They both chuckled, then he shook his head.

  “Sorry, I shouldn’t talk so much about my family.”

  “Are you kidding?” An excited grin on her face, she sat forward. “I’m an only child, so this is amazing. Tell me about your brothers!”

  Well, if she really wanted to hear about them…

  He moved his water out of his way with his free hand—no way was he letting go of her!—and leaned his weight on his elbow.

  “Wyatt was always the most independent of us, always bucking authority. I remember him and Pops butting heads on more than a few occasions, especially as we became teens. He manages the racetrack up on the ranch; we do big races a few times a year to highlight the ranch’s horses. That’s what we’re famous for, you know: producing the fastest horses in the state.”

  More like the entire west, but he didn’t want to come across as too much of a braggart.

  “Do you all work with the horses?” she asked with wide eyes.

  “In some way or another. Ted manages the ranch as a whole, and Bob studies bloodlines. You met Jim, our horse-whisperer. And Cade is in charge of nutrition. He has the magic touch when it comes to our feed, and has even started his own company, a few years back now, selling his blends nationally.”

  Her lips curled slightly. “You sound really proud of him.”

  He shrugged. “We lived together up until recently, so I always got an earful about his work.” And Cade had always been willing to listen to his advice, which Deck had appreciated. “We shared the house our Dad built years ago, but when Cade got married earlier this summer, I moved out.”

  “Really? Where do you live now?”

  Reaching for his water, he shrugged again. “The ranch has been in our family for a hundred and sixty-five years, as Pops is always keen on reminding us. There’s a few houses, not counting the bunk house for the bachelor hands. I moved in with Pops for a while, but I don’t mind staying in the bunkhouse either.”

  “Sounds…lonely,” she said with a small frown.

  “Well, maybe.” He grinned. “Cade and I used to switch off cooking duties, and now that I don’t have to do that, I’m getting to explore a lot more of Cauldron Valley’s restaurant offerings!”

  A little chuckle burst from her lips as she shook her head ruefully. “I like that you always look on the bright side of things, Decker. That’s a rare talent.”

  Modesty demanded he make light of her compliment, but secretly, he was pleased she liked something about him. And admitted to it.

  Just then, the server returned with their appetizers, soups, and salads, and the next several minutes were spent shuffling things around and settling down. As it turned out, Bobbi didn’t handle chopsticks any better than he did, and they both had some fun laughing at their attempts.

  Using her fork, she poked at the Takoyaki. “Are these…fried dough?”

  He grinned. “Octopus balls.”

  Rearing back, she snatched her hand against her chest, as if to save it from octopus contamination. “They have those?”

  Blinking innocently, as if he didn’t get the joke, he asked, “Have what?”

  “You know…” She frowned suspiciously at the appetizer. “Balls.”

  He burst into laughter, then used his knife to cut one of the golf ball-sized treats in half. “They’re balls of fried dough, see? With little pieces of octopus meat inside. These flakes on top are seaweed and fish.”

  “Fish flakes,” she repeated dubiously.

  He nudged one half toward her with the knife, then reached for the other with his fork. “They’re not for everyone, but you should at least try them.”

  “Well, I am always telling CJ she needs to try new things…” She was still eying the balls suspiciously. “But usually I’m talking about collards and brussel spro
uts and things like that.”

  With one brow raised in challenge, he popped his half of the Takoyaki into his mouth, enjoying the intense burst of flavor which always accompanied the treat.

  She hummed, then straightened her shoulders as if going into battle. He managed to hide his smile as she reached for the Takoyaki with her fork.

  And then, as she chewed, she hummed again, thoughtfully. He watched her chew and swallow, then reach for her water to wash it down.

  “Well?”

  “Not bad.” Her smile grew wry. “You were right. The sauce on top—is that mayonnaise?—really pulls it all together.”

  “See? Trying new things is fun! Want some edamame?”

  “Oh yeah.” She reached for the pods. “These are more my style.”

  They joked about preferences—she really did eat a lot of vegetables, didn’t she?—as they snacked their way through the appetizers. Then the meals arrived, and he asked for extra plates so they could divvy things up.

  They were both chuckling by the time she slurped down her first udon noodle, and outright laughing when they tried to figure out the secret ingredient in the shrimp sauce.

  “Is it shrimp?”

  “Eew! Mushed up shrimp? I hope not!” She was still giggling when she snagged a piece of the steak. “I prefer the veggies, but I have to admit, this steak marinade is delicious.”

  “I started cooking with teriyaki after I discovered how much I like hibachi style. But I still prefer my steaks a little pinker.”

  She paused, meat halfway to her mouth, and narrowed her eyes. “How much pinker?”

  Sheepishly, he grinned. “Much pinker. I like mine rare to medium rare, if possible.”

  “Hm. We might have to agree to disagree on that then.”

  It was a simple comment, but it caused Deck’s heart to beat faster. She was admitting they could have a future together. Agreeing to disagree meant there might be future conversations on the topic. Maybe even steaks—and veggies—eaten together!

  As she bent over her almost-empty plate, his gaze flowed over her curves. She was a fine-looking woman, and the way his body reacted to her told him things could be real good between them.