Solitary Cowboy: Friendly Valley Romance, #5

By Braylee B. Parkinson

Afton's grandparents started a boutique, which she has struggled to keep in operation. She has been fighting for years to keep it afloat, but with the increase of crime in the city and decreased sales, she is beginning to question her determination. When Afton discovers an eco-tourism opportunity, she books a cabin in the mountains for her birthday.

 

Maximillian Clayburn is a recluse who lives above the small town of Friendly, removed from people. He only comes out to retrieve his packages after dark when they are delivered to his mailbox. The county commissioner tells him about the program he intends to implement, which will bring tourism to the village, much to Maximillian's anger. He does not want strangers creeping around his land or any changes made to his town.

 

When their paths cross, Afton and Maximillian disagree on some points but find common ground on others. But can Afton and Maximillian overcome their differences and explore the instant connection they felt when they first met?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Braylee B Parkinson
• Release date: Sep 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215316313

Book preview

1

I don’t think this is working.

Afton was standing in front of her boarded-up boutique with Daniel, her on again, off-again boyfriend of three years. She was finally saying what she’d been thinking for the past several months.

I thought we were finally getting to know one another, Daniel said, adjusting his wire-frame glasses. It was a quirk that bothered her. He would lift his glasses up and down on his nose a few times and squint his eyes as if he was having trouble seeing her.

It’s not you. I’m making changes in my life. I might even sell the boutique.

This time, Daniel removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

The boutique is your life. Why would you ever sell it?

I heard a rumor that life is about more than your career.

Daniel missed the sarcasm in her voice. Instead, shook his head, put his glasses back on, and gave her a confused look.

Well, I guess I kind of saw this coming. I know this sounds weird, but I was worried when Bernice didn’t like you.

Funny enough, Afton had thought the same thing. The first time she’d visited Daniel’s place, the cat had walked up to her and drug its claws across her ankle, leaving a trail of dripping blood.

Bern, c’mon! I told you I had a friend coming over. Daniel had said, throwing his arms in the air. Bernice held her ground. Hissing and arching her back while Afton checked the wound. Daniel had grabbed Band-Aids and peroxide and helped her dress the injury. Meanwhile, Bernice continued growling in protest.

If you keep this up, there won’t be any treats tonight. Daniel yelled at the cat. She’s just used to it being me and her. Please forgive my little princess.

Afton remembered thinking that Bernice’s attack was a sign Daniel wasn’t the right guy for her. That and the fact that he loved chick-flicks much more than she did and he had mani-pedi dates with his sisters. While she thought it was wonderful, he had such strong bonds with his sisters and his cat, she was looking for someone a bit more…rugged. The sobbing during Casablanca should have been the last straw, but Afton had hung in there. Daniel had movie star good looks behind his wire-frame glasses, owned his own business, and was easy to get along with. Was she making a mistake by ending things with him?

Actually, I’ve been meaning to tell you. I’ve started spending time with someone. We’re just friends, but the last time she came over, I felt guilty. She works at the kitty motel Bernice stays at when I go out of town. Bern loves her. That’s what brought us together.

Afton suppressed an eye roll. If she liked Daniel more, she’d totally be jealous of his cat. The vicious feline truly had his heart, and if there was a girl out there his precious Bernice liked, he was surely going to be smitten with her.

That’s good news. I’m happy for you, Daniel.

And in a way, she was. After three years, Afton was sure he was not the man for her, but she wanted him to be happy.

Do you maybe want to take a little while to think about this? I mean, we could date other people and keep spending time together—just in case.

Just in case? Of what? They were never going to be compatible. For example, Daniel spent every waking hour of his weekend sitting on the couch watching sports. Afton didn’t mind taking in a game or two herself, and she’d even suggested they buy tickets and attend a Golden State Warriors game, but Daniel had declined.

You can’t analyze the game with people talking and screaming. I need peace and quiet to monitor plays. He’d told her. She’d simply nodded at the time and accepted that weekends were completely off limits for their relationship. She couldn’t stand sitting around doing nothing for hours on end, so she’d just continued to work during those days. It hadn’t bothered her until an act of vandalism forced the boutique to close temporarily. Suddenly, her weekends were free. She’d tried to get Daniel to go for a hike one weekend and dinner the next, but he had sports to watch.

It’s been three years. If we don’t know each other by now, I don’t think we ever really will.

Daniel nodded and did the weird thing with his glasses again.

Hmm. Okay.

The breakup would not cause much of a ripple in Afton’s life. There had never been anything that felt like love between them. They met for dinner every couple of weeks, and saw a movie together on occasion, but most of the time, they were strangers. When Daniel wasn’t vegging out in front of the television, he was obsessing over the accounting firm he ran, and she was chained to the boutique she’d inherited from her grandparents. Their relationship was little more than text messages and short venting sessions about their careers over an occasional shared meal.

You’re right. It’s been fun though. Sometimes. Right?

Afton smiled.

Maybe we’ll grab a drink every now and then.

Maybe, she said, but Afton knew she was never going out with Daniel again. The previous evening, when she’d been thinking about what she was going to say to break things off with him, Afton realized she didn’t know much about him. He’d attended Stanford, grew up in San Bernardino, had two sisters, and a large tabby named Bernice that hated her. That was the extent of the information she had about Daniel.

We should have done this a long time ago.

Daniel lifted his glasses again and gave her a confused look before shrugging his shoulders and saying, Alright. Still friends, right?

She nodded.

I’ll see you around, Daniel.

He gave her a quick hug and headed off down the street with a fresh pep in his step. She too felt lighter now that she no longer had to force herself to send those lame Hey text messages every couple of nights. Afton sighed and dug her keys out of her purse. Breaking up with Daniel was the easy part. Temporarily separating from the boutique was the thing she wasn’t sure she could pull off.

She opened the front door and went inside her banged up boutique. There wasn’t a timeline yet to get the front of the building repaired. Her brother Zander was vetting contractors. After several years of taking a backseat in the business, he’d finally stepped up to help, but Afton was ready to sell the place. Sadly, the odds of her getting a decent amount for the storefront were slim. She knew there would come a point where she’d just have to take what she could get. Taking a loss wouldn’t be so bad if she hadn’t dedicated the last sixteen years of her life to the place. All those long nights sitting at her computer struggling to find a way to keep the boutique open seemed so futile now. Should she have let it fail sixteen years ago? Should she have told her grandparents no? That would have been the more logical path to take, but even now, with all the hindsight, Afton couldn’t imagine turning down her grandparents’ gift. Her great grandmother, a woman who didn’t speak a word of English when she arrived in America, had opened the boutique, and passed it along to Afton’s grandmother and grandfather. The second generation had dedicated their lives to keeping it open while the third generation, Afton’s mother, had saved herself from being saddle with the boutique by going to medical school and becoming a doctor.

I hated working at the boutique, her mother told her. There was no way I wanted to own it, so I made other plans. Big plans.

But the boutique was special to Afton. She’d loved Saturday mornings because her grandmother would let her tag along to help with serving customers. When Afton was a child, she’d sit behind the counter and watch her grandmother work her magic. She had an eye for fashion. No matter who came through the door—a girl in need of a prom dress, or a blushing bride searching for the perfect wedding gown—her grandmother would find the ideal dress for the customer. Her grandparents worked until they both had failing health and as her grandmother lay dying, she said,

Afton, please keep the boutique going. It was everything to our family.

At that moment, Afton thought about her great grandparents leaving their homeland of China and coming to America for a new life. She couldn’t imagine the sacrifices they’d made to ensure their lineage would have more opportunities. Afton knew she owed everything to her ancestors, so she had agreed to take the boutique. Zander, her younger brother, had promised to help, but over time, he played a limited role in the day-to-day operations. That day she had come in to survey the damage, tell Zander she was taking off for a while, and consider whether the boutique would ever open again. Should she write it off as a loss, or was there hope? As she stood in the middle of the mangled structure, tears flowed down her cheeks. She had so many great memories, but owning the boutique had turned into a nightmare.

She stepped carefully around a pile of broken glass and looked in the full-length mirror that hung on the back wall. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck and she’d skipped putting on makeup that morning. She stared at herself, looking for answers, but all she had was more questions. Something had to change and the timing was perfect. With her fortieth birthday just a few weeks, Afton had decided to take a break—even if Zander told her he couldn’t mind the boutique while she was gone. She’d just leave it closed until she got back and worry about what came next after taking a time-out for herself.

A spontaneous trip. That’s what you need. Book it, she said before heading to her purse and pulling out her tablet.

Her only goal at this time was to find the perfect getaway. She spent the next hour searching for the perfect vacation for her birthday. She’d been to the Bahamas, Paris, London, and New York, but this time she wanted something different. This birthday was a milestone, and it needed to stand out from her previous celebrations. She also needed time and space to contemplate a major change in her life. Closing for a month would be detrimental, but it was necessary.

She visited resort websites and reviewed vacation deals, but nothing caught her eye—until she saw a small advertisement for an ecotourism trip.

Ecotourism? What is that? Afton wondered aloud. She clicked on the link.

Grandma will understand if I close for a month, she said aloud. After the words were out of her mouth, Afton looked skyward and said, "I