by Becca Turner
She jerked in surprise. “What?”
“My first wife. Karen. You must’ve read about her.” His gaze went to the dun. “You know, she was pregnant with the baby of the guy who tried to kill me. Us. Old news. Her horse didn’t do anything, of course. So we kept him. Jess rides him some. She looks damn good on horseback.”
Clearly Will held on to some resentment over what his former wife and her lover had done. Not that she blamed him. He’d lost the use of his legs because of Tyler Pickering’s rage. She approached Luke and Bentley. “Hey, boy.”
Luke looked up from the cinch with a smile. “He’s an easy rider, but keep a firm hand on him. He likes to run.”
“Sure.” She ran her hand down the gelding’s neck. “He’s built for it.”
“You want a hand up?”
She shook her head. “I’ve got it.”
Luke gave her a nod, then went to the gate to get another horse.
Bentley must’ve cost a fortune. Long and lean, he looked more like a race horse than a ranch horse. Someone here had an eye for horseflesh.
She could’ve vaulted into the saddle, but the sudden motion might have startled him. Even if he was used to Will and Luke’s kids, he might not take to her sudden weight on his back. All she needed was to make herself look like an idiot in front of her brothers. Jody put her foot in the stirrup and swung onto Bentley’s back.
His muscles bunched beneath the saddle as though he was ready to spring forward. She kept her hand tight on the reins and he relaxed.
“Let’s wait on those slowpokes. You don’t want to go off and leave your buddies, do you?” She scratched his neck and shifted her weight as her brothers saddled their horses. After a moment, she gave him a little slack and let him walk in circles.
It was difficult not to watch Will as he saddled Cielo. She’d guessed Luke would do it, but Will had pulled his high-back saddle from the rack on the wall and with little effort settled it on Cielo’s back. Muscles in her brother’s arms rippled as he worked to cinch the saddle, then buckle the breast collar.
Cielo flicked his dark tail at a fly and shifted his weight to one hip while Will tacked him, but otherwise, he stood perfectly still.
Luke finished with Black Eyes and mounted before Will. He let his pinto walk over to Jody and Bentley. “He’ll be done in a minute.”
“I’m not in a hurry.” Truth was, she wasn’t sure she should be here, but it was too late to back out now.
Will led Cielo to a rubber mat near the door. He clicked his tongue twice.
Cielo carefully lowered his front half until he was on his knees. He looked expectantly at Will, who position his chair next to the gelding. Using his arms, Will moved from chair to saddle in a swift motion. Every bit as gracefully as any of the moves she performed while trick riding.
If he could do that, maybe he could kick Billy Wishall’s ass after all. “He’s got that down.”
“He’s had practice. After Jessi nagged him about riding again, it was all but impossible to keep him on the ground. Unless he was with her. Jess is the best thing that ever happened to him.”
“You feel the same way about Faith?” He was raising her kids. None of the women her dad had ever brought home had any interest in her. They weren’t mom material.
Luke smiled. “Oh, yeah. I’m damn lucky to still have Faith.”
She grimaced. Shouldn’t have brought that up. “Sorry. I know you two had a…rough patch.”
Jessi had filled her in about Luke losing his memory in the spring. Looking at Faith and Luke, no one would ever guess they hadn’t been in love since the first time they laid eyes on one another.
He shrugged. “Believe me, she’s not the kind of woman I’d ever want to forget. She forgave me, even though I’m an idiot. That’s all that matters.” Luke turned Black Eyes as Cielo rose again. “Let’s go.”
Will joined them after he got his feet in his stirrups. He slapped Bentley on the rump, causing the horse to jump. “Race you to the gate.”
Without warning, Bentley took off. Jody tightened her legs on the saddle leather. Her hat snapped back on the stampede straps. She leaned forward as Bentley shot away from the barn.
Cielo and Black Eyes were in close pursuit, although neither of them had Bentley’s long stride. Or maybe her brothers were holding back.
The tension melted from her shoulders as she adjusted to the gelding’s lope. This wasn’t so bad. At least she had something in common with these men—they all loved horses. Spending time with them might’ve been more awkward if they didn’t have that.
She drew Bentley up as they rode toward a gate leading to a big field.
“She can stick to a horse.” Luke grinned as he leaned down to unlatch the gate.
“Like a burr. Maybe we can claim her.” Will winked at her. “I had a couple of doubts after you fell off during your show.”
She narrowed her eyes at Will. “I’ve seen video of you riding bulls. You fell off plenty.”
“I was young.”
“And dumb,” Luke added.
“Thanks.” Will directed Cielo through the gate. “I think Dusty said it best when she told us everyone falls off sometimes.”
No doubt about that. Jody had fallen plenty of times—off her horse and in life. She’d always gotten up, no matter how difficult it seemed. But now things had changed. No matter how enjoyable she found this outing with her brothers, it would come to an end. One where Luke and Will would be better off if they didn’t get attached to her.
She squared her shoulders. No matter what, she couldn’t get attached to them either. And certainly not to the Tumblin’ B. That wasn’t why she’d come.
Chapter Seven
A big red speckled steer bounded down the arena the moment Austin released his rope. Nolan’s lay sadly coiled in the sand. It hadn’t come close to the steer’s hind hooves.
Austin drew Jacko up and turned the horse so that he faced Nolan and Bourbon. “What gives? You ever throw a rope before?”
Nolan avoided his little brother’s gaze as he reeled in his rope. It wasn’t like he planned to miss every throw. “Sorry. Just an off day?”
“This isn’t a backyard horseshoe contest coming up.”
Austin rarely lost his cool about competitions, but today he had a right. At the end of the week, they were heading to Utah for a roping event that might put them ahead in points to make it to the National Finals this year.
“I know.” Any other day, he would’ve been focused and ready to set the arena on fire with his skills. Right now, he couldn’t center on anything farther than two feet from his face. Even Bourbon seemed to be losing patience with Nolan as he danced sideways toward the gate.
“I’ve seen you rope better when you were hungover.” Austin shook his head. “You’ve been distracted for days.”
He wasn’t about to admit he’d been hanging out at Casa Piedra, waiting to see if Jody showed up again. It led to some late nights, but he hadn’t seen her since he’d dropped her off.
“You still mooning over Tiffany?” Austin’s brow furrowed. “Heard anything from her?”
“It’s like she dropped off the planet. It’s okay. I don’t want to talk to her.” He let Bourbon carry him back to the gate beside Jacko. “I’ll hit the next one.”
“You’d better or I’m firing you as my partner.”
Casey clung to the top rail of the fence and frowned as Nolan approached.
“You want to offer some constructive criticism?” He winked at her as he rode past.
“Your timing’s off.”
“You’re nine. What do you know?”
“Everything Nat taught me!” she called after him.
Natalie had taught her a lot. Her stepmother was a professional breakaway roper who had seemingly endless patience for teaching Casey everything she knew. Nolan respected and admired Nat for her dedication to her career in the WPRA and to her family.
Casey wasn’t wrong about his timing. Right now, she proba
bly had a better chance at roping a steer than him. When the gate released the steers and the barrier popped, he was too distracted to get Bourbon out and his rope in the air. Not that any of his problems were Bourbon’s fault. The gelding knew his job and didn’t fail to go after the steers.
Austin positioned Jacko behind the barrier as another steer rattled into the chute. He met Nolan’s gaze. “You got four seconds to impress me.”
Nolan wiped his sleeve across his sweaty brow. “I’ll do it in three point seven.”
“Ha. As if.”
At this rate, he’d be lucky to catch one of the steer’s legs. He hadn’t gone zero for six since he was a kid.
The steer broke from the chute, the barriers popped, and Bourbon surged forward a fraction of a second after Jacko.
Austin’s rope arced through the air and settled around the steer’s horns.
The steer made a quick turn to the left in front of Jacko. His hind legs left the ground and Nolan’s loop snared them. The steer wobbled, caught between ropes until they let the tension out.
“Better,” Austin acknowledged.
“Better? Hell! Look at that timer.” Nolan gestured at it. “Three-eight.”
“You promised me three-seven.” Austin smirked as he coiled his rope. “Maybe you’re getting old.”
“Maybe you’re a pain in my ass.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
“Since day one,” Nolan muttered.
Casey nodded as he rode up to her. “Better, Uncle Nolan.”
“Thanks, kid.”
“Someday you might be as good as Daddy.” Her blue eyes sparkled as she grinned.
“Oh really? Gosh, I can only hope.” He pressed his hand over his heart. “Is that the highest praise you can offer?”
Casey’s smile faded a little. “How come you’re so distracted?”
“Grown up stuff. Nothing serious, I promise.”
“I don’t want to grow up if it makes you forgetful.” She wrinkled her nose. “Nat says she has pregnancy brain, which means she forgets stuff all the time too.”
“I hate to tell you that memory problems are part of life. I’d better get back over to my post. Your dad’s as antsy as a hungry bear today.”
“Keep your eye on the steer.” She pointed her finger at him. “You’ll do great in Salt Lake. I wish me and Nat could go.”
“Thanks, kid. But you’ve got school. Anyway, we’ll be back before you know it.”
“With belt buckles?” Her smile widened again.
If they didn’t win, Austin might kill him. “You bet.”
Austin waved impatiently. “Nolan, come on.”
“Ol’ One Track Mind there is hollering. Keep the good juju coming, Case.”
Tiffany didn’t care about him anymore. Jody had only wanted him for sex. All he had left now was his roping. Time to stop mooning about women and get serious. Time to clean up his act, forget Casa Piedra, and give Austin those three point seven seconds he wanted.
Easy peasy. Until an image of Jody wearing his t-shirt popped into his head.
I only want her because I can’t have her. If she was chasing after me, I’d run for the hills.
The chute clanged as the gate opened, then the barriers snapped. Bourbon bolted from his position, hot on the steer’s trail.
Austin launched his rope, which settled perfectly over the steer’s horns.
Nolan’s followed, circled the steer’s hind legs, and the tension pulled tight.
Austin jerked his chin toward the clock. “About time.”
“Hey, I got this.” He couldn’t help smirking at the clock. A tenth of a second less than the previous run. “No sweat.”
He wasn’t going to pine for what he couldn’t have anymore. Not with so much at stake this weekend.
Easy peasy.
* * * *
Nolan switched the radio station on his dash to catch the weather after he stopped at a red light. The guy on TV had been calling for showers all week, but so far he’d missed his mark. The clouds gathered and they got some thunder, but not a lick of rain.
A flash of red caught his eye by the community center door. A half dozen little signs announced a blood drive inside the building, but he stiffened at the sight of Jody pushing a wadded up ball of paper through a trashcan lid.
She dusted off her hands, then turned for the door. Her red t-shirt had big white letters on the back that proclaimed her a volunteer.
Jody volunteering at a blood drive? Interesting.
Behind him, the driver of a little car honked. The light glared green against the cloudy sky.
Nolan put on his blinker, then made the turn into the community center parking lot. What the hell am I doing? I need to get home.
Maybe he’d just take a second to talk to her. It couldn’t hurt. He’d put her out of his head once and for all. He parked the truck, then got out, boots hitting the hot pavement. In, out, and he’d be on his way again.
A blast of cool air hit him when he opened the community center door. Chatter from people waiting to donate blood and those already giving filled the air.
Jody was nowhere in sight.
“Well, well. Look who it is.” Peach McFallon framed her hips with her hands. Her iron gray hair was pulled back from her tanned face in a tight bun. “Haven’t seen you around in a while, honey. Nobody would even know we’re neighbors.”
He strained to see around the slender elderly woman, but couldn’t catch a glimpse of Jody. “I’m here to—”
“Give blood, I hope.” Peach handed him a couple of sheets of paper stapled together. “Read this, then sign it. Wait over there until someone comes for you.”
“I—okay.” He carried the papers to a bank of metal folding chairs. Instead of reading, he watched for Jody. She might’ve blended in with the others wearing volunteer t-shirts, but her dark hair stood out.
She carried a paper cup in each hand to a table, then passed the cups to people sitting there. A tight smile crossed her face before she turned her back on them again.
She looked like she’d rather be anywhere but here.
“Hey, you finished reading?” A skinny guy with a blood center shirt passed Nolan a pen. “Sign that, then I’ll take it, and you can follow me.”
“Uh, yeah, okay.” Nolan tore his eyes away from Jody to sign the paper. He passed the paper to the guy.
He followed the donor technician to a partitioned area and answered a barrage of questions that left him uncomfortable. When was the last time he’d given blood? High school, maybe. Only to get out of class. He filled out the questionnaire and answered specific health questions.
When the technician pricked Nolan’s finger to check the hemoglobin, he grimaced, but it wasn’t much worse than a paper cut.
“Looks good.” The technician put a bandage around Nolan’s finger. “And it looks like we’ve got a station open. After you, Mr. Locke.”
“Great.” Nolan pushed out a breath. What the hell had he gotten himself into just for a glimpse of Jody? Clearly his head wasn’t on straight.
“Thanks for coming out to donate today.” The tech slid a blood pressure cup around his arm, then snapped a pair of nytril gloves onto his hands. After a moment, he palpated Nolan’s arm for a vein. “Oh, nice one right here. Do you donate often?”
“Not in a long time.” He squeezed the rubber grip he’d been given as the tech prepped the needle.
“It’s easy. Just a little stick. One, two—” He stuck Nolan before he got to three. “Easy as pie.”
“Great.”
The tech gave him a thumbs-up. “Give that a squeeze every eight seconds. I’ll be back to check on you in a few minutes.”
“Sure.” God, of all the stupid things to do. Not that giving blood wasn’t great, but doing it just to see a woman. He’d lost his mind.
Jody hovered around the tables where blood donors ate cookies and sipped drinks. She kept plucking at the neckline of her t-shirt and glancing at the clock.
Clearly impatient to get away from here. It begged the question of why she’d volunteered. He couldn’t wait to ask her. It was the longest ten minutes of his life.
“Look at you, done already. That was quick.” The technician grinned at Nolan. “Let’s get you unhooked.”
He pressed a cotton ball to Nolan’s arm and instructed him to raise it after pulling the needle free. After a moment, the technician covered the hole with a bandage. “Feeling all right? Head over and get a cookie.”
“I’m just super.” Nolan swung his legs over the edge of the lounger and put his feet on the tile. He rose and a wave of dizziness washed over him. Bright spots flared in his vision.
“Sir?” The technician sounded distant.
Nolan blinked, and then the floor rushed at him.
Chapter Eight
Nolan.” Jody leaned away from his face as his dark blue eyes opened. “There you are.”
She’d steadfastly ignored him when she’d seen him come into the community center. Nice of him to give blood, and she planned to say hello once he made his way to the cookie station. She hadn’t counted on the surprise and worry that bounced in her chest when he’d collapsed on the floor.
He blinked and his gaze went from her face to his surroundings. His brow furrowed as his attention centered on her again. “What happened?”
“You passed out.”
“No, I didn’t.” He shook his head, then gave her a bewildered look. “Cripes, I’m dizzy.”
“You did.”
“Not possible.” A muscle in his jaw twitched. “I don’t do that. Not because of losing a little blood.”
So stubborn. “When was the last time you ate? Your blood sugar is probably low.”
“I don’t know. Five thirty this morning? But I still didn’t pass out.”
“Oh, yeah? Then why are you on your back, tiger?” She laughed. “Don’t worry, it happens sometimes. It doesn’t make you any less of a man.”
Peach carried a cup of orange juice over. “How’s the patient?”
“I’m fine,” Nolan growled.
He started to push himself up on his elbows, but Jody laid her hand on his chest. “Hang out there for a few more minutes. Until you get some blood back in your brain.”