Harts Of The Rodeo 3 - Duke - Deputy Cowboy

by Roz Denny Fox

  “I agree he needs a lesson,” Gary put in.

  “I have an idea to run by you,” Duke said. “I told them at the beginning it’s a race that relies on teamwork. Tommy convinced the other two boys he’d only participate if he could be the one to chase and try to mount the pony. But the truth is Luke and Bobby aren’t heavy enough to dig in and hold the pony in check to allow Tommy time to climb aboard.” Duke spread his hands, leaving his thoughts on the table.

  It dawned on Gary first. “If Tommy has to give up the spot he wants to Luke, it will impress on him things won’t go his way if he does wrong.”

  “I see value in that,” Pam agreed. “I’ll go along if Angie agrees. You’ve scheduled their last session at Thunder Ranch tomorrow. We’ll have a heart-to-heart with him. If he honestly sees the error of his ways, we’ll be out at ten. If he decides to be stubborn, he will have to explain to Luke and Bobby that he’s the sole reason they have to withdraw from the race.”

  Confident Tommy was a good kid beneath all his bluster, Duke got up to leave as the boys came in with a farm wagon carrying their four bushels of corn.

  “Zorro didn’t chase crows,” Tommy called. It pleased Duke to notice his dog tolerating Tommy for the first time. That told Duke there had been a change in the boy’s demeanor. He snapped his fingers and Zorro bounded into the backseat. He specifically didn’t tell the boys he’d see them the next day, and saw they both looked anxious. But he’d let their parents handle things.

  He made a spur-of-the-moment decision to seek out Angie at her booth. As he entered the fairgrounds a volunteer handed him a map with locations and names of exhibitors. He was able to walk straight to where she was set up. Duke stopped a short distance away because to see her sent a flutter of pleasure through his chest and a sudden tightness to his groin. This morning she wore a blue shirt that matched her eyes, and her hair was clipped atop her head in some kind of fancy braid.

  Her customer left, she glanced up, saw him and a smile lit her face. Luke, too, had spotted him and Zorro and came charging out of the booth. “Whatcha doin’ here, Duke? T-Tommy called me this m-morning and ’pologized. Mom said that was the right thing to do. Do you think so, too?”

  Duke noticed a slight slowing of Luke’s normal run-on sentences today. “Tommy definitely owed you an apology. I came to see your mom for a minute, Luke. Do you want to read to Zorro? But we can’t stay long.”

  Happy, Luke led the big dog to the back of the booth.

  Angie came out, a frown creasing her brow. “Is the pony race still a go? I know Pam planned to see you this morning. I told her it was her call.”

  “That’s what I came to say. We may have a solution. Pam and Gary are going to talk to Tommy then she’ll call you. If all works out I’ll conduct our final practice session tomorrow. If not, Luke will be terribly disappointed.” His gaze cut to where his dog sat with his head across the boy’s lap. “Those two have sure formed a bond.” He laughed. “So much for Zorro being a one-man dog.”

  Angie smiled, because the term bonding had been bandied about a lot today. “It’s good for Luke to read aloud and he does better with an audience. Dylan, I’m glad you dropped by. I couldn’t get to sleep last night so I worked on the laptop. I love the website with the cartoon horse. I set it up, linked with a secure site where customers could pay, and this morning I already got two orders in.”

  “That’s great,” Duke said. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to know you won’t be working at the roadside stand anymore.”

  “You really are concerned about my welfare.”

  “I’ve been trying to get across how much I care for you, Angie.”

  “I’m really not ungrateful. It’s just...I’ve had only me to count on in...well, too long. But, shame on me, I neglected to thank you for all the carrot and apple grating you did.” She cleared her throat a few times as Duke continued to smile down at her. He caught her hands she waved around as she talked.

  “I slept last night, and dreamed about you.”

  “Stop, you’re embarrassing me.”

  “Where will you be at five? I can take my supper break about then,” he said.

  “I’ll be at the shop. I have a high-school girl watching my booth the next two afternoons to give me more baking time. If you drop by I’ll put you to work.”

  “It’s a date,” he said, slipping the word in so she’d get used to the idea of them dating. “I wanted to ask if it’d be okay to teach Luke how to do a flying pony mount.” He quickly laid out the possibility he and the Marshalls had discussed about replacing Tommy.

  Angie’s eyes filled with concern.

  Duke dusted his knuckles across her chin, tilted it up and brushed her lips with a soft kiss. “He’ll be safe, I promise. And it will be a great confidence booster.”

  She agreed, maybe only because two men approached her booth.

  Duke went to get Zorro. “Luke, we’ll see you later today at the shop.” It pleased him to see how excited that prospect made the boy.

  Deciding to check out the other side of the fair on his way out, Duke spotted Colt’s wife at a booth. He stopped to chat. “Is Colt due in tonight?”

  “He is, and it feels like he’s been gone a month. He loves handling the bucking horses for Thunder Ranch, but we hate the time apart.”

  “Doesn’t absence make the heart grow fonder? I heard that someplace,” Duke said, grinning. He picked up a silver cuff bracelet that caught his eye. It had a single blue stone in the center that was a dead ringer for the color of Angie’s eyes.

  Cheyenne Sundell, who’d finished helping another customer, came over. “That’s a light lapis mined in Montana. There isn’t much of the vein in that color, which is why that cuff is so expensive. Customers all love it, but say it’s overpriced.”

  Duke pulled out his wallet. “I’ll take it.” He still carried his portion in cash from the last purse he’d won.

  Cheyenne wrapped the bracelet in tissue and tucked it in a bag. She took the hundred-dollar bill he gave her and handed him ten in change.

  Leah studied him with surprise. “Am I missing someone in the family’s birthday?”

  “Nope.” Duke thanked Cheyenne, took the bag, tipped his hat to the women and left, well aware he’d piqued Leah’s curiosity. Probably he’d set himself up for Colt to cross-examine him this weekend at the rodeo. But if Angie came and sat with the family, maybe they’d spot the bracelet. If she wears it. If she likes it. Now he was antsy, wondering if giving Angie a gift of jewelry might be too intimate and presumptuous.

  He’d worry about that later. If he began his workday early, he wouldn’t feel guilty if he spent more time helping Angie later.

  Dinah phoned him to say Pam Marshall had left him a message on their office answering machine to call her. “I hope all is okay with the boys being in the pony race. Another team in their age group scratched. Colby Martin fell off a hay wagon and broke his arm.”

  “If Pam solved things with Tommy, they’re on board.” Duke shared details on the kids’ mix-up the night before. “By the way, I’m starting patrol early.” He updated Dinah on the fact Angie had expanded her business, and mentioned he’d been helping.

  “That’s fantastic, Duke. I’m always delighted to see women-owned businesses do well. And Mom will be happy to see you two getting closer. Any news you care to report on that?”

  Duke hesitated. “Actually, I am involved. And I hope she is, or can be. I could use some advice.” He mentioned buyin
g the bracelet from Cheyenne. “If I give Angie a gift for no reason, will I scare her off?”

  “Are you kidding? Wow, Duke. I guess it’s true what they say about still waters running deep.”

  “Now you’re poking fun at me.”

  “No, no. It’s a compliment. I’d feel special if anyone gave me one of Cheyenne’s jewelry pieces.”

  “Ah, so can I put a bug in anyone’s ear in particular?”

  She sputtered enough to give Duke reason to wonder if Dinah did hanker after someone local.

  His day started with a bang. He issued several speeding citations, mostly to cowboys anxious to reach Roundup fast to start partying. Duke knew that from now to the last event, his and Dinah’s patrols would get busier even though it was great for the city’s coffers.

  Directly prior to his dinner hour, Duke ordered fried chicken to go from Sierra. She’d heard about him buying the bracelet and her teasing left him wanting to throttle Dinah or Leah or both. However, Sierra’s ultimate approval removed his indecision about whether or not to give Angie the gift tonight. Jeez, gossip in this town spread faster than the first winter snowfall.

  Angie had two massive bowls of horse treats mixed when Duke arrived at her store.

  “I set the laptop on the counter so I can keep track of my cookies baking while you show me some ways to promote my website.”

  “I brought ready-made chicken dinners for all of us. But it’s still light out. I left Zorro with Luke and gave him a Frisbee. I told him to stay between your shop and my pickup, if that’s okay with you.”

  Angie appreciated that he was looking out for her son. “Luke gets so bored hanging out with me.” She started dividing cookies into groups of six, preparing to bag them. “Pam called to say Tommy agreed to let Luke be the one to try and mount the running pony for their team.”

  “You don’t sound okay about it.”

  “I worry how he’ll feel if he fails. Add in my long-standing reservations about it being totally wrong to force animals to participate in rodeo events, and I’m not sure how I feel.”

  “Oh, hey, speaking of the rodeo events, I brought your tickets.” He set them on the counter. “Aunt Sarah bought them, so don’t think I’m forcing you to watch me ride,” he said, laughing lightly.

  “She did invite me to sit with her, Dylan,” Angie said.

  Duke loved that of all the people he knew only Angie called him by his given name. It sounded personal and affectionate falling from her kissable lips. He shifted his stance. He’d come to help her with business, not for monkey business. “I’ll help bag the cool cookies while we talk about possible promo opportunities.”

  They worked well together, Angie noted.

  “How much storage do you have for bags, mailing boxes, labels and such?” Duke asked.

  “There’s a big pantry. I need to keep the cookies as fresh as possible, so baking has to be done every day.” She reached across Duke to replenish her stack of labels and for a moment her light perfume had him pausing to imagine burying his face against her neck where the scent seemed most concentrated.

  “You finished your stacks,” she said. “I’ll be done with mine in a minute. Why don’t you call Luke in to wash up, and I’ll unload the next pans on the cooling racks. Afterward we can eat. I’m sure you want to eat before it’s time to head back to work.”

  He did as she asked. By the time they sat at one of the tables in the outer room, Luke was full of stories about how Zorro retrieved the Frisbee.

  They all laughed a lot. Angie and Duke chimed in with other funny stories. She found it was nice to have another adult—a male adult—sharing their meal. Luke reveled in the man’s interest. And if she was honest, she’d admit Dylan Adams attracted her on many levels; more even than Carter Gray had. Yet, from the day he’d popped into her kitchen she’d tried to resist him. Tonight it was hard to name why.

  “You’ll need to arrange for a post-office box, Angie,” Duke said, breaking into the place where her mind had drifted.

  Angie shook herself mentally and got back to the conversation at hand. “First I want to put an ad in the paper for another cook. Or maybe I can hire you part-time,” she teased, flashing Duke a grin. “Tonight we bagged enough cookies to get through two days at the fair.”

  “We could make it a family affair and I’d work free,” he said, holding her with his eyes.

  She flushed. “Ah, if I take some of this leftover chicken off the bones, can Luke feed Zorro?”

  “Sure.” He pulled out his pickup key. “Luke, his water bowl is on the floor in the cab. Fill it for him, would you?”

  “Okay.” Luke grabbed the keys. “Mom, did you hear Duke say we could be a family?”

  “Lucas...” Her tone held a warning. He screwed up his face, then dropped the subject and took off with the plate of bone-free chicken.

  His departure left Angie rubbing at prickles that rose on her arms. “Dylan, Luke doesn’t understand when you’re teasing.”

  “I wasn’t teasing, but I was testing the waters. Angie, surely you know I’m doing all I can to get close to you.”

  “I like you, Dylan. A lot. More than I expected to. And Luke’s crazy about you. It’s, well, you know my big issue. I won’t ruin the enjoyment of tonight, repeating myself...but...”

  Duke jumped in before she did just that. “All of that sounds positive to me, Angie. Before I take off, I’ve...uh... I have something for you.” He dug in his pocket.

  “Something other than the tickets?”

  “This is something personal.” He set the bag on the table and waited expectantly.

  Her hand nervously bracketed her throat, but anticipation had her gazing at him with eyes wide.

  “It’s a little something I saw when I was leaving the fair this morning, and...well...the stone put me in mind of your eyes.” He opened the bag and handed her the silver bracelet. “According to Cheyenne, the stone is light lapis, mined right here in Montana.”

  Angie’s fingers shook and she almost dropped the bracelet even as her mouth fell open and she sounded similar to Luke as she stammered, “Dylan, th-thank you. It’s—it’s beautiful.”

  “I’m glad you think so,” he said, his voice husky. She ran a finger over the blue stone, and Duke was moved to lean across the table to kiss her.

  She brought her hands up to cup his face, and this time there was no question that she kissed him back. He rose from his chair, threaded his fingers under her hair and deepened the kiss.

  They were fully involved when the door opened and Luke’s shout broke them apart. “Duke, Zorro drank all of his water. Can he have more?”

  Duke turned quickly, but not before satisfaction settled over him as he saw Angie a bit rumpled, but glowing from his kiss. “The chicken was probably saltier than his dog food, Luke. But he’s probably had enough to drink. I need to go, so you can put the bowl back in my truck.”

  He lightly touched Angie’s swollen pink mouth. “See you soon,” he promised, then scooped up his hat and left.

  Outside, Luke hooked a thumb in his front jeans pocket, and did his best to mimic Duke as he walked to the pickup.

  Duke stopped and placed a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “Tomorrow, I’m going to teach you how to make a running start and then leap on the pony’s back.”

  “T-Tommy won’t let Bobby or me do that.”

  “I think Tommy’s changed his mind. He wants your team to have the best possible chance of winning.”

  “
Really? C-cool. But what will my mom say?”

  “She needs to talk to Mrs. Marshall, but I assured her I wouldn’t let you do anything unsafe.”

  “Do you think I can get on the pony?”

  “I do, Luke. I wouldn’t propose it if I didn’t think you could. Tomorrow we’ll see if Bobby and Tommy can slow the pony with the rope.”

  “Okay. If you say I can, I will.” He flung his skinny arms around Duke’s waist and hugged him hard.

  Angie came outside intending to show Duke the bracelet she’d put on. As she stood in the doorway she saw her son’s face tipped up as he eagerly gazed worshipfully at his taller companion. She felt such a kick in her chest she clutched a fist against her heart and suddenly had to blot tears from her eyes. The pair looked so much as if they belonged together it stole her breath. Unconsciously her finger stroked the blue stone Dylan said reminded him of her eyes. What woman could resist falling in love with a man that sensitive?

  Unbidden, she imagined how such a man would be as a lover. Considerate. Attentive. Giving. Maybe riding bulls wasn’t such a huge obstacle, she mused as Dylan left and her son raced back to the house yammering at the top of his lungs about getting to be the one to ride the pony in the upcoming pony race.

  Chapter Eleven

  The following week hurtled past at warp speed, it seemed to Duke. He fully meant to get back out to Angie’s before Friday when the rodeo kicked off. Wednesday morning the three boys did so well in their new team configuration, for the first time he told them they could win their event if they didn’t let the noise and the crowd spook them. Of course the kids swore they’d be cool.

  Duke knew what effect a roaring crowd could have. He’d seen kids who froze and weren’t able to move off the starting line and others who ran with the ponies, but forgot what the heck they were supposed to do. He waved them off to Pam’s vehicle and returned to his deputy’s job.

  * * *

  THE FAIR BROUGHT A LOT of visitors to town, but the rodeo broke all records. As well as cowboys converging from many states, area ranchers like the Harts figured prominently in many of the events. There were so many in the family who competed, and as often as not, won, so they tended to be rodeo favorites.