The Bull Rider's Manager

by Lynn Collins

  Hunter turned and lifted her into his arms.

  “What in the hell are you doing?”

  “I may only get one night with you.” He stared into her eyes. “We are married. Let’s act like it. Just for tonight.”

  He was waiting for her answer, Barb realized. She sat in the driver’s seat here. All she had to do was say ‘put me down,’ and he would. The night would go on like they were the strangers they’d been on Thursday. Polite, friendly strangers – Hunter would be a potential sponsor again.

  His hair curled over his ears and Barb’s fingers brushed it back into place. She wanted this night. One night and then she’d go back to dealing with the reality of her life. Of the decision she would be making for her mother when she returned home. One night when she wasn’t a babysitter for a bunch of bull riders or a businesswoman. She wanted to say yes.

  And so she did.

  Hunter carried her into the room, kicking the door shut with his foot. He laid her on the bed, the smell from the rose petals overwhelming her senses. Roses and him. He was salty, musky, and sweet all at the same time. He kissed her, soft and gentle. “Mrs. Martin, I love the way you kiss.”

  Smiling, Barb pulled him down into a second kiss. When he finished, he rose, asking again, “You sure?”

  Barb started unbuttoning his shirt, the feel of the soft cotton against her fingers teasing her. She reached under the shirt with both hands, feeling his muscular chest with just enough hair to tickle her fingertips, but not so much she thought she was petting a bear in the zoo. She groaned. “I’ve never been this sure in my life about anything.”

  With that, he smiled and lifted up her shirt. “Then honey, I’m home.”

  Afterwards, spent, she lay next to Hunter on the bed. He traced her jawline with his fingers, then her lips. He leaned forward, quickly kissed her, then got out of the bed. “Want a glass of champagne and strawberries while we recover in the hot tub?”

  “You are just full of good ideas, Mr. Martin.” Barb followed him, slipping into the steaming water.

  “You haven’t seen anything yet, Mrs. Martin.” Hunter flashed her a wicked smile as he filled their champagne flutes.

  And as the night passed, he kept that promise.

  Hunter woke the next morning to the five a.m. wakeup call from the front desk. Barb was nestled against him – spooning, they called it. He hung up the phone and fingered her wild red curls away from her face. She was magnificent. In bed, in life. He would be honored to have Barb Carico as his wife. Real or fake. Too bad she’d never go for it. Besides, he had Kati to watch after. Who wanted a man with baggage? Barb deserved more than a confirmed bachelor raising his orphaned niece. She deserved everything.

  He kissed the top of her head and reluctantly slipped out of the heart shaped bed. Fantasy time was over. Real life was calling. And they had a plane to catch in two hours.

  “Barb, time to get ready. The shuttle will be leaving in thirty minutes,” he called out to her. “I’m jumping in the shower. You can join me if you’d like.”

  Barb sat up, pulling the sheet over her ample breasts. “We’ll never make the shuttle if I do. Get showered. I want to get in there.”

  Hunter turned back from the bathroom door. Barb’s voice was cool – not cold, but definitely not warm. Maybe she regretted last night, thought it was a mistake. He knew last night had been far from a mistake. It just was a reality that couldn’t be. Not now. He needed to lighten the mood since they had a two-hour flight to get through. “You sure – last chance?”

  A pillow hit the wall next to him. “Stop stalling and get in there. I want in the shower too.” She paused then added, “By myself.”

  “Your loss.” He stepped into the bathroom but left the door open just in case. He knew Barb wouldn’t join him. Hell, lightening had struck last night and he’d gotten lucky. Luck like that with a woman that special didn’t happen twice. Turning on the shower spray, he stepped under the steaming water hoping to clear his head.

  Eight minutes later, he was out of the bathroom. With a towel wrapped around his waist, Hunter thought he caught Barb’s eyes drop to his abs. He sucked in automatically, even though his time at the gym had done the work he’d wanted. He knew he looked good, but for some stupid reason he wanted Barb to think that as well.

  Barb sat at the edge of the bed in a long tee shirt covering her amazing body, her clean clothes and a small toiletries bag on her lap. She waited for him to turn toward his suitcase, then the girl sprinted to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

  Hunter smiled. He’d never seen Barb Carico flustered before. The woman was cool under pressure. The more pressure, the cooler she’d become. Right now she looked like a scared rabbit – and he was the hawk, circling the sky over her.

  Humming, he got dressed and waited for his wife to get ready. When the front desk called to let them know the shuttle had arrived, he carried their luggage down to the lobby, Barb by his side. Just like any other married couple in the universe. Except this marriage would be annulled with a call to his lawyer tomorrow morning.

  At least Barb would have the cheap ring he’d bought her as a souvenir. All he had was his memories. Memories that had convinced him, for a second, that he’d found his soul mate. And now he was letting her walk out of his life.

  6

  Sitting on the back deck, drinking coffee with Lizzie, Barb watched the cottage where her mom slept. “Thanks again for taking us in for the week. I needed to get out of Boise. We won’t be a bother, I swear. I’ll do everything.”

  Lizzie rubbed her swollen belly. “I didn’t want to close the cabins but James is convinced the babies are coming any day. The doctor just pushed out my due date, said he’d miscalculated at first, not knowing the boys were twins. Seriously? In this day and age?”

  “You look great.” Barb smiled.

  “I feel like an overstuffed teddy bear. But thanks.” Lizzie scanned her friend’s face. “So, you going to tell me?”

  Barb’s gaze jerked from the quiet cabin to Lizzie’s face. “I did. I’m putting mom into Countryside. Cassie’s getting her bedroom set up this week and when we go home, she’s being admitted. What else did you want to know?”

  “I want to know what happened between you and Hunter Martin. Don’t get me wrong, I know James is ecstatic that you may have pulled in the Martin Dairy as one of Jesse’s sponsors. He’d been working on the older Martin for years with no luck.” Lizzie sipped a glass of ice water, waiting for Barb to respond.

  Barb sat listening to the birds chirping in the tall pines surrounding the cabins. She could hear the river bubbling through the channel, splashing on rocks. When the forest got quiet from people sounds, the other sounds came to the forefront.

  “Barb?” Lizzie’s gentle voice prodded.

  “He’s a potential sponsor, what more is there to tell?”

  “Bull crap. I know that look on your face. You had that look every time Ken Forest walked by your locker during sophomore year. Until Jesse started calling you Ken and Barbie.” Lizzie adjusted in her rocker. “So what happened? How did Hunter get your attention so quickly?”

  “He’s just a nice guy.”

  “And…”

  “And we kind of got married in Vegas.” Barb shook her head. “Now stop. Don’t even go there. It was a huge mistake and we were drunk.”

  “Oh my God. Did you consummate?” Lizzie leaned forward, grinning.

  “No. I mean, kind of, but no.” Barb’s face flushed, she could feel the heat. “After the wedding, I was drunk so Hunter tucked me in bed and went back to his room. When he came with coffee and aspirin the next morning, Jesse was in my shower.”

  “Tell me you didn’t sleep with Jesse.”

  “No. Are you kidding? I’d have to be stupid drunk to do that. Yuck.” Barb took a sip of iced tea, avoiding looking directly at Lizzie. The girl knew her weakness.

  “But…”

  Sighing, Barb knew Lizzie wouldn’t give up, short of going into lab
or here and now. And judging from her gentle rocking, that wasn’t about to happen. “Fine. The next night in Denver, we had to share a room, and well, the hotel put us into the honeymoon suite because they got us mixed up with another couple who did get married in Vegas.”

  Lizzie squinted. “You did get married in Vegas.”

  “Hunter’s having his lawyer take care of the legal bits. Soon, I’ll be back to being old maid Carico.” Barb twirled an ice cube in her drink.

  “You’re not an old maid, silly. And you’re trying to change the subject. What happened in the honeymoon suite?”

  Barb sat listening to the dumb birds twitter like she was in a Snow White cartoon. After a few seconds she answered her friend’s question with one word. “Magic.”

  Lizzie pushed herself to her feet waving away Barb’s offer to help.

  “Where are you going?” Barb watched her friend waddle to the house, ignoring her question. Nature must be calling. This is what magic gets you, she mused, fat and uncomfortable.

  But in her heart, she knew she’d trade places with Liz any time. Instead of Hunter being her ex-husband, he could be the father of her unborn children. The man she came home to. Home. Barb felt tears build in her eyes.

  Lizzie came back through the doorway with a bottle of Barb’s favorite wine. “James can handle JR and your mom for the evening. We’re having a girls night, even if I can only drink water.”

  “I don’t know. Mom can be a handful.”

  “Girl, you have so much on your plate right now, it’s time for you to relax and tell me everything. You’ll feel better, you always do.”

  Lizzie had always been her rock. Even after JR had been born, Liz was the one Barb called when a date went bad. Or when she was making big decisions in her life. It was fitting that Barb would run to Lizzie today. Getting her mom away from the house while Cassie moved her furniture had been an excuse. She’d needed her friend.

  “Pour my glass to the top. We’ve got a lot to talk about.” Barb accepted the rose colored wine sparkling in the sunshine and looked down at the ring on her left hand. A placer ring she hadn’t been able to take off. A ring she didn’t want to take off.

  Being here was good. Mostly because Hunter Martin wasn’t here. Barb didn’t think she could stand to be next to him without reaching out to hold his hand or put her hand on his arm.

  Yep, hiding out in a rental cabin in the Idaho mountains was a good thing.

  Hunter pulled his truck into the driveway in front of his Eagle home. He’d bought the place after John and Rachel had died, wanting to keep Kati in the same school district and the same neighborhood. Hell, he even hired the same babysitter on the rare nights he had to leave her alone. The counselor he’d visited in the early days after the accident had told him to try to keep her outside world as normal as possible. Maybe he’d gone a little overboard.

  He picked the morning paper off the walkway, opening the door into the three thousand square foot house that was way too big for him and Kati. He had a cleaning service come in weekly and they probably spent more time in some of the rooms than Hunter ever had. Bella skidded across the stone tile in the foyer to greet him.

  “Hey, little girl.” He reached down to pick up the fluff ball. Bella had been Rachel’s dog before the marriage and had come with Kati. Hunter had felt a little foolish at first walking the toy Pomeranian around the neighborhood, but the dog had won his heart. He walked toward the living room. “Where’s Kati?”

  A voice called from the family room. “We’re in here.”

  His dad, John Carter Martin, sat on the sectional with Kati cuddled next to him watching Sleeping Beauty. Hunter deposited Bella on the couch where she went to lay by Kati, then dropped into a recliner. He’d have to replace that movie disc soon, as often as Kati watched it.

  “How’d the trip go? Did Jesse win?” His dad spoke over Kati’s head.

  “Didn’t stay for the ride, so I can’t say.”

  John Carter frowned. “Vegas isn’t a two-day flight. What happened?”

  Hunter sighed. “Long story. I took off Saturday after a few issues, then got stuck in Denver. Damn airlines anyway, I think all the planes are about ready to fall apart.”

  “Recession’s got everyone cutting back.” His dad grinned. “Except in their ice cream consumption. Our profits for that division have never been so high.”

  “Are we having ice cream?” Kati sat up straighter. “Can I have chocolate this time?”

  Hunter shook his head. “I suppose your grandfather has let you eat ice cream all weekend. Did you even cook dinner?”

  “We went out. Not my fault the girl likes her ice cream.” John Carter stood, kissing Kati on the head. “Gotta go home and check on the stock.”

  Hunter walked his father out. “She do okay?” he asked when they were out of Kati’s earshot.

  “She was a little mopey until Saturday when we went to her riding class. Man, that girl has taken to that horse like she was born to ride. She reminds me of John when he competed in high school.” John Carter slapped Hunter on the back. “You could have been as good as Jesse Sullivan if you’d stuck with riding.”

  “Been there, done that.” Hunter hadn’t loved riding. Not like his brother. John had loved bareback. He’d tolerated the rodeo weekends with his dad and brother, glad when he went off to college and out of the corrals. “Thanks again for taking her this weekend. I needed the break.”

  “You can drop her off any time. I’m usually home.” John Carter looked back toward the living room. “Your mother always wanted a little girl. Too bad she didn’t make it to see Kati. She would have loved being a grandmother.”

  Hunter was quiet for a beat, remembering his mother. Barb’s face, worrying about losing her mother to a disease that took her mind away long before the body left this world, flashed in his mind. Life was hard on all of them. “Yeah, she would have loved Kati.”

  “See you tomorrow at work? I’ve got a department’s head meeting scheduled to discuss Jesse’s sponsorship. Why don’t you invite that pretty Barb Carico to come?”

  Hunter shot a glance at his father. The man was fishing, he had to be. There was no way he’d found out that the pretty Barb Carico was his new daughter in law, at least until the papers could be signed. He chose a non-committal answer. “I’m sure she’s booked. Kind of short notice. Besides, this way the department heads can talk candidly about the decision.” And maybe the department heads would talk his dad out of this crazy idea, and then he’d be able to completely get Barb Carico out of his life, if not out of his head.

  “A man could do worse, you know.”

  Hunter watched his father climb into his quad cab truck and drive away without a look back. The old man was getting senile in his old age, that was all. Hunter scooped up Bella, who’d snuck out the front door, and went back into the house.

  “What do you say we order pizza for dinner?” Hunter walked back into the family room, dumping Bella onto the couch with Kati.

  “Pepperoni.” Kati opened her arms and the little dog climbed onto her lap. She leaned her head against the arm of the couch.

  “Sleepy?” Hunter reached out and brushed Kati’s fine blonde hair out of her eyes. Frowning, he pressed his hand against her forehead. “You’re burning up.”

  “My throat hurts.” Kati touched her neck.

  “Why didn’t you tell Grampa this?” Hunter grabbed the list of emergency numbers he’d left out for his father. He dialed the doctor’s office and immediately got placed on hold.

  “He would have made me go to bed. I wanted to go ride.” Kati looked up at him, her brown eyes pleading. “Don’t be mad at Gramps. I didn’t tell him.”

  “I’m not mad at anyone,” Hunter said, not meaning his words. Just then the receptionist came on the line. Soon, he was talking with the office nurse who walked him through taking Kati’s temperature and figuring out what medicine she needed.

  “I’ll ask the doctor to call in the prescription to Rexall
. They have a delivery guy. It’s pricey, but if you don’t want to drag her out tonight…” The nurse paused, letting the information sink in.

  “Don’t worry about the money. I just want her to feel better.” Hunter thanked the nurse, then hung up and dialed a second number.

  After ordering all of the supplies the nurse had listed out and a few coloring books and food supplies, Hunter hung up the phone and grabbed Kati.

  “My movie’s not over,” she grumbled.

  “You can watch it in your room. You’re getting in your jammies, then into bed where you will stay until you kick this bug out of your body.” Hunter whistled for Bella. “And your little dog, too.”

  “That’s from the windy movie. The witch says that.” Kati laid her head on his shoulder.

  “You calling me an old evil witch?” Hunter’s heart ached when Kati relaxed into his arms. Maybe she was starting to trust him, just a little. Or at least trust that when he said he’d come back, he did. He would lay odds that part of the reason she hadn’t told his dad she felt sick was a compulsive need to be perfect. The world was going to smack her down for that, sooner rather than later. Hunter just hoped he’d be there to pick up the pieces when she fell apart.

  “You can’t be a witch. You’re a boy.” Kati giggled.

  Tucking her into the bed, he popped in the movie, and went to the bathroom to pour her a glass of water. His cell rang. Looking at the number, he answered, “Hold on a sec.” He looked at Kati. “You stay right here and in bed. You need anything, you call me. Understand?”

  Kati nodded, the circles under her eyes betraying how tired she was. Hunter doubted she’d be awake long enough to see Princess Aurora be taken away by her fairy godmothers.

  He kissed the top of her head and walked out the door.

  “Glad you got my message. You have everything drawn up?” Hunter went to the fridge and, bypassing the beer, grabbed a soda.