by Tamie Dearen
“Good morning, Sharon. I ran into Peter down at the stable…” His words died on his lips as his eyes adjusted to the interior light, focusing on a woman. Definitely not Mrs. Buchanan. Much younger. And absolutely breathtaking. Dark lashes defined mysterious almond eyes, the color of gray smoke. At a glance, the rest of her face was just as stunning, with a pert nose and lush lips, her jaw more determined than delicate. But those eyes… they were mesmerizing. He could stare into their beguiling depths for the rest of his life.
“Morning, Cord,” Sharon said, bustling at the kitchen counter. “Would you like some hot chocolate? I was trying to convince Jessica she needs to eat more than a protein bar for breakfast.”
The gray eyes blinked, breaking the spell. “Uhmm… I guess I could stay and eat a little something.”
Jessica. Sharon spoke the intriguing stranger’s name as if they’d already met. She must’ve gone to Sage Valley High, though he couldn’t place her. He’d better play it cool—pretend he knew who she was.
“I’d love some hot chocolate,” he replied, removing his hat. “But I can come back later, if you were in the middle of something.”
“No worries. You can stay.” A shy smile broke on Jessica’s lips.
“Would you like a homemade biscuit with some cactus jelly?” asked Sharon.
“Yes, ma’am. I’d love it.” He hung his hat on a wall hook and slid into a chair at the rustic round table, casting a surreptitious glance toward Jessica. He had to say something, to act like he remembered her. Maybe he’d get a clue about her identity. “What are you up to these days, Jessica?”
A perfect eyebrow arched, as if she could see through his ploy. “Working here for the summer. Then back to UNT Dallas for my last year.”
Some quick math told him she was four to six years younger than his twenty-seven. Maybe that’s why he didn’t recognize her. He relaxed, feeling the expectations were lowered.
“You didn’t tell me you hired someone new, Sharon. I’ll need to figure it in to the expenses.” He kept a smile on his face, though he worried Sharon and Peter were hiring more summer help without consulting him. The pair seemed to have on blinders about the financial state of the ranch.
“Don’t worry,” Sharon said, with a cheerful wink. “This employee is worth her weight in gold.”
At his appraising glance, the girl lifted her chin. Hopefully, Sharon was right about Jessica. Her jeans and well-worn western boots were a good sign.
“What will you do when you graduate?” he asked, thinking a local girl might major in something related to agriculture.
“I’ll have a degree in Math, with a certificate to teach high school.” She took a chair across the table, sliding a full mug of steaming cocoa in front of him.
“Math, huh? I have to say, I didn’t care much for calculus.” He took a sip of cocoa.
“That’s okay,” Jessica replied. “I don’t think accountants have much use for calculus.”
He choked on his drink, his eyes watering. How does she know I’m an accountant? Who is she?
“Are you okay?” Jessica asked.
Was that a smirk on her lips? Did she realize he was only pretending to know who she was?
“I’m fine,” he rasped. “It was a little hotter than I expected.”
Sharon set a plate of biscuits in front of him. He took advantage of the distraction to stall for time, slathering a biscuit with butter and jelly while considering the mystery.
He felt her gaze on the top of his bent head. Desperate to divert her attention, he pointed to her untouched mug. “Aren’t you going to eat a biscuit?”
She selected a biscuit and sliced it open to add butter and jelly. “Whatever happened to Picasso?”
He froze with his biscuit in front of his open mouth. “You knew my horse?”
“I met her a few times when you rode her to our house.” She smiled and blinked her long lashes.
I have to recognize this girl. I’ve been to her house.
“Actually, Picasso is gone. I have a mare named Blaze.”
“But you remember riding to my house, right?” Wide gray eyes blinked at him.
“Uhmm…”
Sharon joined them at the table. “Jess, stop torturing him. Tell him who you are.”
Jess burst into laughter behind her hand. “I can’t, Nanna. It’s too fun.”
“Nanna?” he repeated, his mind racing. She must be one of Nick’s cousins. Wait… Nick’s baby sister? “Are you J.J.?”
“Jessica Jolene, at your service.” Her cheeks flushed, which only served to make her prettier, if that was possible, the blush emphasizing an adorable smattering of freckles. “My friends call me Jess. No one calls me J.J. except Nick.”
“I talked to Nick two weeks ago. He didn’t tell me you were working here this summer.” Cord was already rehearsing a tongue-lashing for the next time he spoke to his best friend.
“Nick didn’t know until yesterday. I can’t tell him anything without him throwing a fit, like I’m a little girl instead of a grown woman.” Jessica leaned back and crossed her arms, her full lips forming an oh-so-kissable pout.
What am I doing? I can’t think about kissing Nick’s sister. He’d skin me alive.
Cord didn’t mention that up until a few seconds ago, he’d thought of her as a thirteen-year-old kid. “Your brother can be a little overprotective.”
“A little? Are you kidding me? He’s offered to beat up every guy I ever dated.”
Cord nodded. “That sounds like Nick.”
“I think it comes from all those bull-riding competitions he used to do. He’s got way too much testosterone.” Even though she was complaining, she sounded proud of her big brother, who’d never managed to talk Cord into trying the dangerous sport. Hearing the admiration in her voice made him wish he had.
“I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you,” he said.
“I probably still had braces when you graduated.”
Her even white smile attested to the success of her orthodontics, but he couldn’t remember her teeth being crooked. In truth, he’d probably ignored her altogether when she was nothing but Nick’s pesky baby sister. Back then, Nick had been obsessed with Katie Crowley, the homecoming queen, while Cord had been preoccupied with competing for Valedictorian. Nine years later, Cord still concentrated on his work, finding that most women demanded too much attention.
“You’ve been gone from Sage Valley for nine years,” Sharon said. “A lot has changed, including Jess. I’m not surprised you didn’t recognize her.”
Without thinking, his eyes dropped to check out her form, admiring the ways she’d certainly changed, until his gaze rose to meet her furious one. Hot liquid rushed into his face, and he gave himself a mental slap.
Attempting to cover his rude ogling, he said, “I noticed your boots. Can you ride a horse?”
Her jaw jutted forward. “Better than you.”
“That sounds like a challenge,” he said, desperate for a way to impress her. He might be a bit rusty, but he was fast, especially riding Blaze. “We should race.”
“Bad idea.” Sharon shook her head at Cord. “Jess is the Southwest Regional Barrel Racing Champion.”
“I was the champion,” she corrected. “I haven’t raced in two years, Nanna.”
So much for that idea. She obviously rode faster than he ever could.
Sharon came to his rescue. “Why don’t you tell Jess about your plans for the ranch rodeo?”
His chest swelled. The rodeo was his pet project—one that was sure to benefit the ranch in a major way. “T-Bar-X had to drop out of the ranch rodeo circuit this summer, and I snagged their spot for Sage Valley.”
Jessica’s gray eyes grew round as saucers. “An amateur rodeo? Here? That’s fantastic!”
“Back in the day, we held a rodeo here every summer,” said Nanna. “So we already have the arena.”
“Of course, we need to build or rent some more bleachers for an event this big,” Cord a
dded. “But that won’t be a problem, since every single guest house is already rented at double the normal rates,” he said, proudly. “Our staff will work the event, and we get a percentage of the ticket price as well.”
“Is Mason McCaffrey entered in bull-riding?” Grinning, Jess sat forward, rubbing her hands together.
Cord wanted her to be enthused, but not about Mason McCaffrey. The man was a thorn in Cord’s side. He’d been employed as the Sage Valley Ranch manager for the past four years. But he’d grown lazy, neglecting his duties while he gave his attention to rodeo competitions. Mason argued that he needed to maintain his reputation as a bull rider to attract visitors. However, Sage Valley was more than a dude ranch—it was a working cattle ranch. When Cord confronted Mason about mismanaging the cattle, the stubborn cowboy blew him off. Even though a records audit showed a steady decline in livestock profits, with income from the dude ranch holding the business afloat, until a decline in reservations the past two years.
“I’m sure he’ll compete,” Cord answered Jess, holding back the criticism on the tip of his tongue.
“He’s still number one in the amateur bull-riding circuit, right?” she asked.
Cord frowned at her rapt expression. He’d never understood the term “starry-eyed” before. If only he could tell her how Mason’s inattentiveness had almost cost her grandparents their ranch.
“I’m not sure how he’s ranked,” he said. “Do you know him?”
She nodded, her eyes darting to study her fingernails. “We went out a few years back. Nothing serious. After Nick finished competing, I always rooted for Mason. I love to watch bull riding.”
Cord’s stomach tied itself into a thousand knots as he imagined Jess, sitting in the stands at the Sage Valley Ranch Rodeo, cheering while Mason rode a madly bucking bull, swooning as he leapt to safety after eight seconds and waved his hat in the air. The image played as clearly as a digital video recording in his mind. And something in Cord’s head snapped, all common sense vanishing in an instant. From his mouth leapt seven words that left him as shocked as his slack-jawed companions.
“I’m doing the bull riding competition, too.”
3
Cord held the phone away from his ear as Nick yelled, “Have you lost your mind? You can’t compete in bull riding. You’ve never done it before.”
“That’s not true,” Cord defended. “I rode once down at Gilley’s.”
“That wasn’t a bull.” Nick continued to shout. “That was a mechanical box in a dancehall. And if I remember correctly, it bucked you off in two seconds onto a padded floor, and you could barely walk afterwards.”
Forty-eight hours after Cord’s hasty declaration, he’d only managed to dig himself into a deeper hole. In the wake of Jessica’s excitement, he’d blathered some nonsense about taking up bull riding during a summer internship in Houston, which was sort of true, if you counted the mechanical bull. Then Mason McCaffrey, who’d previously refused to listen to his advice, declared that anyone with the guts to ride a rodeo bull must not be a stuck-up, citified, worthless, bag of air after all. The two actually had a long and productive discussion about how to trim the fat, so to speak, on the cattle production.
“Please, Nick. I’ve got six weeks to train. I don’t have to win. I just need to not make a fool of myself. Can’t you teach me?”
“No. And I can’t believe you called me at the crack of dawn to ask this question. Did you think I’d answer in my sleep and agree?”
“I thought you were my best friend who would help me in my time of need.”
“I’m not going to help my best friend commit suicide.”
“You rode a bunch of times without dying.” Cord presented the argument he’d been using to bolster his courage.
“It’s not the same at all, you idiot. I started on easier bulls and worked my way up to rodeo bulls. I had hours and hours of practice.”
“That’s why I need to practice a few times before the real rodeo. You have to help me.”
“Back out of the competition,” Nick said. “Forfeit your entry fee, if you have to.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?” he demanded.
“It’s a matter of pride.” Cord gave Nick an explanation that didn’t involve his sister. “I already told Mason McCaffrey I’m competing.”
“McCaffrey’s the best amateur bull rider around there. You’re never going to beat him.”
“I only need to stay on that bull long enough to earn Mason’s respect. I’m finally making progress with him.”
After a moment of silence, Nick let out a heavy sigh. “Four seconds would probably do it.”
Cord let out a whoop of triumph. “So you’ll teach me?”
“I’m in the middle of my summer semester at dental school. I barely have time to eat and sleep, much less drive from Houston to Sage Valley to give you bull riding lessons.”
His premature celebration plummeted. “I guess I’m going to die, then.”
“You’re not going to die. But you’re going to hurt. A lot.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve got a buddy who gives bull riding lessons in Houston. They do group lessons, mostly to city dudes with more macho than common sense, which fits you to a T. It’s Friday to Sunday, and it’s not cheap. But he can at least teach you how to look like a bull rider during the two seconds before you get bucked off.”
“You said I needed to stay on four seconds to earn Mason’s respect.”
“Yeah, but four seconds would take a miracle.” Nick’s laughter rang in his ear. “I gotta come watch this. Never thought I’d see the day.”
“Thanks a lot,” he sugared his words with sarcasm.
“I’m sorry, man.” Nick caught his breath. “Honestly, if you’re going to do this, the main thing you need to practice is jumping up from the ground into a full-blown sprint. That’s how you stay alive.”
Cord clung to the vain hope that he wouldn’t embarrass himself. He couldn’t stand the thought of Jessica laughing at him. Which reminded him that Nick had let him down in that regard.
“By the way, why didn’t you tell me when you found out your sister was working here this summer?”
“Why should you care that J.J.’s staying with Nanna and Bucky?” Too perceptive for his own good, Nick sounded suspicious.
“No reason.” Cord used an indifferent tone.
“Should I report where Zander and Cohen are going on their vacations?”
“I don’t care where your brothers go on vacations, but your sister is here. And like an idiot, I didn’t recognize her.”
“Ha! That’s hilarious. I guess you haven’t seen her in a while. That’s what you get for running off to New York and never coming back.”
“I think you set me up on purpose,” Cord accused.
“Sad to say, I didn’t do that. Although I would’ve if I’d thought of it.”
“With friends like you…”
“Who needs any other friends? I know, right?”
“Funny, Nick.”
“I have a great idea,” Nick said, with enthusiasm.
“I doubt I’m going to agree.”
Undaunted, Nick continued, “You’ll be my watch dog. I don’t want Jess dating anyone in Sage Valley, so you can be in charge of keeping all the guys away from her.”
I guess now’s not the time to tell Nick I’m interested in Jess.
“Why don’t you want her dating?”
“Her fiancé just broke up with her, and she’s primed for a rebound relationship.”
Cord’s fingers balled into fists, knowing someone had hurt her.
And what kind of jerk would I be to take advantage of her when she’s vulnerable?
“When did it happen?” Cord asked.
“Back in January.”
“It’s been four months. She might be over it, right?”
“Believe me, her judgment’s impaired. She’s too emotional.”
“She could me
et a nice guy here. Don’t you want her to be happy?”
“I don’t want her to end up with a local guy.” Nick’s words sounded like they squeezed through tight lips. “I didn’t much like her fiancé, but at least he was a ticket out of Sage Valley. I sure don’t want her dating Mason McCaffrey this summer. She used to be all moony for him, just because he won some bull riding competitions.”
“Funny criticism, coming from another bull rider.”
“The dude’s way too old for her,” Nick’s volume kicked up a notch. “He graduated the same year as us.”
“Five years older isn’t so bad,” Cord said, defending himself more than Mason.
“If she starts dating McCaffrey, the next thing you know she’ll be married and living in a rundown farmhouse with four kids hanging on her legs. She deserves a sophisticated city life. Speaking of city life, when are you going back to New York? Aren’t you worried you’re going to lose your job with Phantom Enterprises?”
“No, my new bosses are amazing. When they heard Dad had terminal cancer, they told me to take all the time I need. I took a temporary pay cut to keep working online through the summer while I get my folks’ house fixed up to sell. But it’s hard to find a decent contractor.”
“When you sell the ranch, you won’t have any reason to ever go back to Sage Valley,” Nick said.
Cord couldn’t bring himself to share his decision to stay in Sage Valley permanently. His friend would claim he’d gone insane. And Cord wouldn’t blame him.
Determined to have a more exciting life, Cord left for college in New York City, vowing never to return. And he’d kept that promise for nine years, even enticing his family to come to New York for the holidays. But something happened during those last weeks with his family before his father died of cancer, something too complicated to explain, even to his best friend.
“I’ll keep an eye on J.J. for you,” Cord said.
“Do a little digging. If Mason or any other guy tries to make a move on my sister, tell him he’ll have to answer to me.”
Awesome. If the bull doesn’t kill me, Nick will.
“Good morning, Shadow.” The early morning sun filtered through the cracks in the stable walls, painting distorted stripes across her horse’s gray face. Jessica entered the stall with a bucket of oats and rubbed his side, twisting away when the gelding nosed her back jeans pocket. “Yes, I’ve got a carrot for you, but it’s for later. I’ll be back in a minute, after you eat your oats.”