by Jillian Neal
“Just when Sapana was certain she could not be rescued, a buzzard circled beneath her. She told the buzzard what had happened to her. He flew to her and instructed her to step on his back and promised that he would carry her to her earth. ‘Let go of the lariat. I’ve got you,’ he assured her. Seeing no other options, Sapana untied the lariat from her waist and got on the buzzard’s back. But the buzzard was not her warrior, you see. She was too heavy for him. Then a hawk approached and buzzard explained that the girl needed to be returned to earth. Hawk flew with Sapana until he reached her people, and he returned her safely with buzzard’s help. To this day, when Sapana’s tribe hunts, they leave a buffalo for hawk and buzzard as a way to thank them for returning their beloved Sapana to them.”
Summer swallowed harshly. “So, Austin is going to have to save me. Great.”
“Ah, but there is more to your tale than Sapana’s, my dear. In your tale the rescuing hawk has been flying for so long he’s forgotten why he started flying in the first place. When he rescues you, he will remember how to go back home, because his home is yours, Whirlwind. The hawk has forgotten his way. You will show him. If you will allow it, my child, you will save each other, but it is all up to you. Just know this — you cannot hang on that lariat forever. Brant’s aim with the rocks improves with time.”
“Ugh, why does everything have to be up to me? Why can’t something just be easy? Why can’t Sapana have just not chased the damn porcupine, found herself a nice cowboy, and settled down?”
“Interesting question, Whirlwind. Why couldn’t she?”
“Because I’m an idiot,” Summer sighed.
“No, you’re not unintelligent, but you and your hawk do have a habit of chasing entirely the wrong things. Both you and Sapana tend to see the tree they want to cut down instead of the answer in the forest.”
“So, you’re not only bedding Summer Sanchez, but you’re also gonna move her into your house?” Luke asked Austin again.
“Bro, how many times do I need to explain this to you? She’s fucking awesome. I’m in love. I know I said I’d never fall, but I did. Just have to get Preston to stay the hell away. I plan on walking out of the arena tonight $10,000 dollars richer. I’d say that’d buy a pretty damn nice engagement ring, not to mention the millions I’ve racked up this season.”
“I feel it bears mentioning before you up and spend all of your bank on a ring that barrel racers are generally a little wild and completely crazy.”
“Yeah, she’s perfect. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” Austin laughed.
As they searched for a parking place near the arena, Luke jerked Austin’s shirt to the side, reveling several of the hickeys Summer had left on him the night before. He shook his head. “Figures. I somehow suspect she has more.”
Austin smirked and waggled his eyebrows.
“I hope you know what you’re doing. Whole thing seems nuts to me, and I really don’t want to be a scavenger bird in this like that woman kept calling me, if it’s all the same to you.”
“Ekta took good care of Summer when Mitchum used to ride here every year. Summer adores her. I don’t give a shit if she is crazy. I’m just glad somebody was there for her at some point in her life.”
“Speaking of riding here, shouldn’t you be getting your head out of Summer Sanchez’s crotch and be getting it into qualifying on a bull tonight?”
“I’m in it. Should have seen my last ride in Cody when I knew she was waiting on me outside the chutes. Ninety-fucking-two. My best ride yet. She’s my good luck charm.”
“Okay, fine, geez, she all you’re ever gonna talk about again?”
“Sorry, guess I am obsessin’.” Austin tried to feel badly that he’d dominated conversation the whole day with talk of Summer. His brother wouldn’t be in town too long, but convincing Summer to be his permanently took up all of his brain capacity. “Uh, how’s the ranch?”
“Hay’s mostly in. Grant and Natalie are finishing it up, but Gilbert’s ranch is heading for the auction block.”
“What?” The news effectively jerked Austin out of thoughts of he and Summer making Camden Ranch their permanent home.
The Gilberts had owned the small 7,000-acre ranch next to the Camdens since long before either Luke or Austin had been born.
“Yeah, you remember back last winter when their barn burned?” Luke reminded him.
Austin nodded.
“Bunch of bad investments near about bankrupted them just before that. Looks like arson, but it was an inside job.”
“No way. Ames Gilbert is as honest as the day is long. He wouldn’t torch his own barn for cash.”
“No one thinks it was Ames. Seems Derrick put his daddy’s money in oil a month or two before OPEC slashed the price per barrel instead of in corn, where everybody with half a brain knew the money was gonna be. He freaked and decided he’d get the insurance money for the barn, try to reinvest in something else. Whole town’s up in arms over it. They couldn’t get enough for their last shipment of cattle to save ‘um. Going up for sale first of September.”
“Damn, that’s a shame. Derrick has always been an idiot, though. Remember when we were in middle school and he stuck marbles to bullets and started throwing ‘um in the fucking gym? Guy’s a moron.”
“Yeah, well remember in high school when he downed a fifth of his daddy’s good bourbon and drove his truck into the pond by our house?”
Austin and Luke laughed at the memory of Derrick Gilbert sitting by the pond, singing God Blessed Texas over and over again, at three in the morning, staring at his old Dodge Ram bed-up in the water.
“Who could forget that? Ames tried to make him work our ranch ‘til he paid for the damages, but he kept screwing things up and Dad fired him.”
“Dad thinks we should buy the land before it goes to auction. He hates to see it go for prices that low.”
“You interested?” Austin asked.
“Might be. You want split it with me, or are you planning on spending all of your money on Summer and your new life?”
“My new life will be my old life, just significantly improved since she’ll be there riding beside me or waiting on me to get back from workin’… preferably naked in our bed.”
Luke’s customary annoyed grunt came just before his eye roll. “You’re full of shit, you know that, right?”
“You’re the second guy to say that to me, but you’re both wrong. I finally feel like I figured out what the hell I’m on this planet for.”
“Fine. Are you interested in buying the Gilbert’s land with me or not?”
“Yeah, maybe. Let me get home and get settled in. We have ‘til September, right?”
“Few other families looking at it, but Grant said you can’t grow corn on it, so …” Luke shrugged.
“I still need to figure out what it might take to get J.J. away from Brant permanently. I’m guessing she needs a better lawyer. That’s gonna take some money.”
“It ever cross your mind that she might see you as a sugar daddy that could get her what she’s wanting since you’ve been winning all season?”
“It ever cross your mind that I ride bulls for a livin’ and if you ever say something like that about her again, I’ll kick you out of this truck and beat your ass six ways from Sunday?”
Luke shook his head, but he also shut his mouth.
Austin dropped Luke back off at the Best Western, where his family had four rooms. He grilled his mother, Hope, and Holly until Holly spilled the entire ridiculous situation with Brant while they’d been having coffee. She’d gone on and on about how Brant’s father probably caused him to feel emasculated or some shit with other words Austin didn’t understand. He’d deal with Preston later. Sounded to him like Summer had stood up for herself without using her fists. He thanked his lucky stars for that before he headed back out towards the river to retrieve Summer and J.J. He smiled to himself, thinking how much he enjoyed that he was the guy picking her up.
Summer
stormed out to the truck before he’d even had a chance to stomp on the emergency brake. She had J.J. in his car seat and was up beside him, kissing on him, before he could ask what the hell had gotten her sassy-ass up in arms.
The fact that she was kissing him while looking highly irritated confused the hell out of him. Women. Why did they have to be so dang hard to figure?
“Head in my Wranglers says to keep kissing you. Head above my beltline says to ask you if you wanna tell me why you look madder than a wet cat.”
She settled down in the seat beside him. “I’m kissing you because I missed you, and I don’t know, I guess I’m kind of glad you’re back.”
Laughing at her outright, Austin nodded. “Your ringing endorsements always make a guy feel appreciated, and I missed you too, sweetness. Now, what’s got my girl so ornery? Since you were kissing me and didn’t backhand me when you got in the truck, I’m assuming it isn’t me. You and Ekta have a come to Jesus meetin’ about something, or are we still pissed at Brant?”
“I’m always pissed at Brant, but it ain’t him this time.”
“All right, I ‘spose I could ask J.J. He isn’t much more forthcoming with information than his mama is currently, however.”
“I’m just … I don’t know … mad at myself, honestly.”
Shocked she’d come out with that, he debated how to proceed. “Anything I might could do to get you to stop being mad at yourself?”
“No.”
“Wanna tell me what brought on this round of self-abuse?”
As he backed away from Ekta’s cabin, Summer crossed her arms over her drool-worthy chest and stared at the onslaught of Cottonwood trees like they’d greatly offended her. “Ekta says you’re going to have to save me, and that pisses me the hell off. Why can’t I have a boyfriend that doesn’t have to save me? Why can’t I just save myself?”
“What exactly am I going to be saving you from?”
“The porcupine-man.”
“The what?!”
“Brant, I guess. It was this long story about you, and me, and Brant, and how I brought all of my trouble on myself, which I already knew, and now apparently I’m draggin’ you into it. I don’t want to do that. I’m just so tired of regretting most of my life.”
“Summer,” Austin hit the brakes and pulled off on the side of the dirt road, “look at me.” Her whiskey gold eyes stared up into his. “Tell me the story.”
At the end of the long, drawn tale about Sapana and the hawk, Austin drew a deep breath. The motion of Summer’s body scared the shit out of him. She was about a half-second away from bolting from his truck, grabbing J.J., and never looking back.
Better talk fast, brother, she’s officially freaking out.
Austin shot an annoyed glanced skyward. He didn’t need Max telling him that.
“All right, well, I kind of already did save you, didn’t I?” He had no idea where this idea had come from but it was the best he could come up with, so he was going with it.
“What?” She turned back to him. “What do you mean?”
“I saved you in the Silver Dollar that night. If I hadn’t stepped in, you would’a beaten the tar out of Brant, and as much as he deserves it, that would have been real bad for your custody case. I already saved you. And not that I’m patting myself on the back or anything, but I did give you a place to stay and a ride to Cheyenne, ‘cause trust me, that truck of yours wouldn’t have made it out here. So, I’ve already saved you, and you didn’t seem to hate it too bad. It’s over and done with, and trust me, darlin’ you already saved me, too.”
Summer’s brow furrowed. “But why would Ekta tell me the story after it happened?”
“She’s known you since you were a kid. I’m betting she already figured that you’d be mad about me trying to save you.”
“She said something about me showing you how to go home.”
“So, there you go. I’m not going home without you, Summer. You are showing me the way home. I’ve been out on this circuit for half my life. I never wanted to go home because when I’m there, everything I see reminds me of Max, and I feel guilty all over again. Now, I want to go home because I want to have a home with you. The story is past tense. We saved each other. They fell madly in love at the rodeo, even though it only took a few days, and they lived happily ever after. That don’t sound too bad, right?”
“No, it doesn’t sound too bad at all. I’m just not sure that’s what she was telling me.”
“You’re the one that’s being stubborn about the whole thing. I know what I want, and she’s sitting right beside me in this truck. You know what you want, too, but you’re terrified to admit it. I know it’s scary, sugar, but sounds to me like Ekta’s trying to tell you that you’re supposed to fly with me. That’s precisely what happened in the story, isn’t it?”
“I guess so.”
Austin was certain she still had her doubts, but she no longer looked like she was going to bolt. In fact, she studied him like she was finally seriously considering his offer to take her to the ranch and make her all his. He’d take anything he could get on that front. Maybe he should call Ekta up and thank her for making up some crazy story about a hawk to tell Summer.
“Mom and Holly couldn’t stop talking about how much they loved you. Did you have fun with them?”
“Yeah, I had a really good time. They’re all so sweet.” A genuine, beautiful, smile formed on her features. Austin had to remember to keep his eyes on the road. Looking at her grinning like that was prettier than any sunrise he’d ever be witness to.
“Mom didn’t tell you too many embarrassing stories, did she?” He chuckled at his own expense. He’d gladly tell her anything she wanted to know.
“Well, I did finally ask about J.J.’s recent fascination when he’s nekkid. Holly said it’s perfectly normal, and your mom told me you played with yours so much when you were little she was worried you were gonna pull it off.” Summer dissolved in hysterical giggles. Austin amended his recent thought on telling her anything she wanted to know. It hadn’t occurred to him that his mama remembered things about his younger years that he had no hope of recalling.
Fire blistered his face. Dammit, he was too old to blush. “I’ll have to thank her for sharing that with you.”
Summer leaned and brushed a kiss across his fevered cheek. “You’re an amazing guy, Austin. It made me stop worrying about J.J. If he turns out like you, then I did a good job being his mama.”
“You’re a fantastic mom, babe. No worries there.”
“I try. I always feel like I’m screwing something up, though.”
“I kind of think kids don’t need you to be perfect. Dad says they just need you to be there for everything, especially when they screw up.”
“I hope he’s right.”
Chapter Fifteen
Dipping low, Austin did a few deep knee bends trying to work in the Cheyenne Frontier Days chaps all the riders were wearing that night. Clearly, someone who’d never actually had to wear chaps had come up with this plan. He vastly preferred his old ones from Minton; at least they were worn in the right way, felt like a second skin. Despite the annoyance over the new chaps, he was more than pleased that Summer seemed to have settled on the idea that she’d already been saved and she’d survived it, maybe even liked it — not that she’d ever admit that out loud. She’d even asked him a few questions about his house in Nebraska and about the kind of cattle they raised. If she didn’t have the habit of making her mind up just to change it, he’d have been darn near ecstatic.
“Sucks you have to wear new chaps to ride in.” Summer watched him bob up and down. “Hey, you know how I used to soften mine? It works like a charm.”
“I’m listenin’, sweetness.”
“Here, take ‘um off and give ‘um to me.”
Austin did as he was told and watched Summer grab an old horse brush from a tack basket near the bull riding locker room under the Cheyenne Arena. When she returned, she proceeded to lay his
chaps out on one of the metal benches, and rough them up using the brush and a great deal of vigor.
“Fucking gorgeous and smart as a whip, too. I still don’t know I got so lucky.” He couldn’t help it. He swelled with pride watching her help him get ready.
“It won’t be as good as an old pair, but it gets them close,” she explained as she rubbed the inseam vigorously. Only a real cowgirl would know that’s where they pinched the worst when they’re new. His grin expanded.
“I can do it, darlin’.” He held his hand out for the brush.
“No, you keep stretching. I got this.”
Luke, Brock, and Austin’s father made their way into the locker room using the passes Austin had secured them.
“What’s she doing?” Luke quizzed as he watched Summer work.
“Breaking in a new pair of chaps for me.”
“Damn, that’s genius,” Brock admired.
Summer grinned. “I went through a lot of chaps when I rode. New ones suck.”
“Amen to that,” Austin agreed.
“All right, I’m gonna head up to the seats with the girls. Son, please be careful. Just be walking when you get off of that thing for me,” his father urged.
“I’ll do my best, Dad.” Austin accepted the hug from his father and watched him head out towards the stands. Luke and Brock wanted to play chute team so they were staying. “All right, you two, I gotta do the walk out in just a few because, you know, I’m the shit and all,” he goaded. Summer, Brock, and Luke all rolled their eyes at him. Only Summer smirked, but she was the only one that mattered. “I want my good luck kiss so you two get. Chute number nine. Doubt the bull’s loaded yet, but should be soon.”
“Yeah, yeah, we’ll see you down there,” Luke huffed.
As soon as they made their escape, Austin pinned Summer up against the painted concrete brick walls, kissing her like a man on fire. He needed that sweet heat she gave him with reckless abandon. Her soft moan as he tempted her lips with his tongue until she opened for him fed his hunger. It was gonna be one hell of a night. Desperate for more of her, he nipped her bottom lip, loving the way she arched those beautiful tits into his chest when he did that. When he sucked away the slight pain, another moan filled his mouth.