Page 28 of The Cowboy Comes Home

He swallowed visibly. “You’re serious?”

Tucker looked at Emily, as if seeking help. Which she couldn’t give, because she’d entirely missed what Maggie had said. She looked away then, pretending to be focused on avoiding the knot of people who had just gathered at the bar. They stepped out of the way, ending up in a quieter corner.

Some cop you are, can’t pay attention to more than one thing at a time?

Apparently, when Tucker Culhane was involved, that was true.

She looked at him and went with the only thing she could think of that was absolute truth, no matter what Maggie had asked him. “If you live in Last Stand, and it’s Maggie Rafferty asking, the answer is generally yes.”

Emily breathed a sigh of relief when Maggie laughed delightedly. But the relief vanished when Maggie said, “And any young man smart enough to single out Emily Stratton is smart enough to say yes when I ask.”

Apparently she’d become a coward, too, because she looked away, not wanting to see his reaction to that remark. But after a moment and what she thought was a very deep breath, she heard his answer to the woman who saw to so much of Last Stand’s life and energy.

“Yes, ma’am.” His tone was both respectful and humble. “I’d be honored.”

“As it’s intended,” Maggie said, and there could be no doubt about her sincerity. “And well-earned. Not many could come back the way you did.”

“I didn’t. I never competed again,” he said with a shrug.

“Tucker Culhane, you got up and walked and breathed again. You rode again, thankfully not bulls. You had the courage to risk yourself again, even if it was for Hollywood. And,” she added with that steady gaze that had cowed more than one big, strong man, “when your friend needed you, you came.”

She said it as if that last was all that really mattered, and Emily knew that to Maggie it probably was. But what truly fascinated her was Tucker’s face as she said all that; he’d gone from self-effacing to embarrassed to suddenly, solidly steady when she said those last words.

Because, Emily realized, that was what was most important to him. A friend who needed him.

And that told her a great deal. Maybe everything she needed to know about Tucker Culhane.

“So, that’s settled,” Maggie said. “I know it’s very short notice, but we’ll get the word out. And,” she added, with a look at Emily that she couldn’t mistake, “luckily we have one of the best organizers in town to help out. Right, Emily?”

Emily swallowed, wishing more than ever now she’d been paying closer attention rather than mooning over Tucker. But what she had said was true. In Last Stand if Maggie Rafferty asked, you said yes.

“Of course,” she said, wondering what she’d just agreed to help with.

“Excellent. I’ll let the committee know. And Shane, since it’s him you’ll be relieving, Tucker.”

“Wait, what?” Tucker almost yelped it. “I’m replacing the police chief?”

Maggie laughed. “He will be more than happy to surrender that initiator spotlight, won’t he, Emily?”

Tucker looked at her then, his expression uneasy. While she in turn relaxed. She finally had the clue she’d needed to tell her what the Last Stand powerhouse had just arranged in a matter of minutes.

“He will,” Emily said with a laugh. “He never liked it in the first place, but he’s the one we always turn to in a pinch. He’s used to public speaking, much as he hates it.”

Tucker swallowed visibly. “Public speaking?”

“It’s only a short speech,” Maggie said with a careless wave of her hand. “Just to say hello and give the command to start the festivities. And who would know better than you what to say to a crowd of rodeo lovers?”

“In front of a crowd? If it’s more than three words, I can mess it up,” Tucker said, sounding so grim Emily couldn’t stop herself.

“Then those three words should be ‘Let ’er rip,’” she said.

His eyes widened as she quoted the idiom she remembered he’d always used in the chute, to signal he was ready for the near ton of fired-up bull beneath him to be cut loose. It had become part of the legend that had been Tucker Culhane.

Maggie laughed and exclaimed, “Perfect! See what I meant? Emily is a master at cutting to the chase. Now I’ll leave you two to work out the details. There’s a table clear now.”

She gestured to a small, two-person table in the corner behind them, and then was gone before Tucker could protest. They both moved toward the table, as if even when she was gone Maggie still ruled. They sat down, and only then did Emily realize just how small and intimate this corner was.

When Tucker finally looked at Emily again, he seemed a little dazed. “What just happened here?”

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